Runway operations to be switched at Delhi's IGI airport to reduce delays
22 Jul 2009
New Delhi: Efforts are afoot to reduce delays at New Delhi's India Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), caused by inordinately long taxiing-time of aircraft, by shuffling the use of runways. The exercise will commence sometime late next month, and it is hoped that delays in disembarking for passengers and the amount of fuel consumed by aircraft in taxiing long distances will all be reduced as a result.
Passengers have often complained of having to sit in planes for periods as long as 20 minutes after touchdown as aircraft keep taxiing away from the new runway at the IGIA. Aircraft often have to taxi a distance of up to 9km from the runway to reach the domestic terminal.
This has also led to complaints from airlines, which have to burn precious fuel taxiing on the ground.
The changes being put into place will primarily involve using two old runways for all domestic operations, instead of the new one at the IGIA. Since these runways-nos. 27 and 28-are closer to the departure terminal, aircraft will spend less time cruising on the ground.
The new Runway 29 will be used for domestic operations only in case of emergencies, or inclement weather conditions.
Under the new plan, the new runway will be used for international flights along with runway 28.
The airport records approximately 650 daily aircraft movements.
