Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) have been severely impacted this month due to a mix of unseasonal weather patterns and the planned closure of runway 10/28, which has traditionally handled a significant portion of flight traffic.
The runway was shut from April 8 for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgrade, but the situation has now prompted a course correction by airport authorities.
The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates IGIA, is now preparing to make runway 10/28 operational again within a fortnight to ease delays during the peak summer travel season. According to a report by The Times of India (TOI), DIAL will allow flight movements on the runway using non-precision approaches until the full ILS upgrade resumes later this year.
“Even without ILS, non-precision approach landings can take place. So in a fortnight, the closed runway will be made available for non-precision approaches. That will increase IGI’s arrival capacity,” an airport insider told TOI.
The sudden decision follows days of extensive delays triggered by the early arrival of easterly winds, an uncommon phenomenon this early in the year. Under these conditions, aircraft can only land from the Dwarka side and take off toward Vasant Vihar. This has created a bottleneck in operations, particularly affecting arrivals.
The issue came to a head on Friday during a high-level meeting involving the civil aviation ministry, Airports Authority of India (AAI), air traffic control, DIAL, and airline representatives. During the discussions, airlines raised serious concerns over the financial impact of altering their schedules.
“When Indian carriers were told about their 100 daily arrivals in IGI cumulatively breaching the 32-an-hour capacity because of which over 70% of the flights need to be shifted and some cancelled, they protested saying they stood to lose close to Rs 1,000 crore doing so,” a source told TOI.
In light of this, it was decided that runway 10/28 would temporarily resume operations during the summer rush and shut again for the ILS upgrade around mid-June, once traffic volumes decline.
Runway 10/28 was originally scheduled for closure from April 1 to allow upgrades ahead of the winter fog season. IGIA experienced major operational challenges in winter 2023-24 due to the lack of CAT III ILS on the Vasant Vihar end of the runway. The other end (Dwarka side) was slated to receive a CAT IIIB ILS as part of the now-deferred upgrade.
AAI’s internal review confirmed the limitations of closing the runway early. When easterlies blow, departures can be handled by two runways (29 and 11L), but arrivals are restricted to just one (11R). Conversely, with westerlies — the usual wind pattern in April — runways 27, 29L, and 29R can be utilized more efficiently.
“Without runway 10/28, IGI can handle a maximum of up to 32 arrivals when easterlies blow and up to 42 when westerlies blow,” an airport official told TOI. “The domestic summer schedule of airlines was finalised based on easterlies blowing only from May 15 and they cutting/rescheduling flights from then only.”
However, easterlies arrived ahead of schedule this year, complicating things for both airport authorities and airlines. On April 11, a powerful thunderstorm with winds reaching 74 kmph further disrupted schedules. Over 400 flights were impacted on April 11-12 alone, according to the report.
“The early advent of easterlies has meant that almost 100 daily domestic arrivals of scheduled airlines at IGI happen in the hours where arrivals cross the maximum 32-arrivals-an-hour mark,” a source told TOI.
As a result, airlines were asked to cut or reschedule flights to prevent excessive delays on the ground and in the air.
Terminal 2 closure adds to travel woes
Adding to the disruption, Terminal 2 at IGIA has also been closed temporarily for renovation and infrastructure upgrades, further straining airport capacity during the ongoing summer rush. The closure has led to rerouting of flights to Terminals 1 and 3, causing longer queues at security and baggage check-in, and crowding at boarding gates.
(With TOI inputs)
The runway was shut from April 8 for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgrade, but the situation has now prompted a course correction by airport authorities.
The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates IGIA, is now preparing to make runway 10/28 operational again within a fortnight to ease delays during the peak summer travel season. According to a report by The Times of India (TOI), DIAL will allow flight movements on the runway using non-precision approaches until the full ILS upgrade resumes later this year.
“Even without ILS, non-precision approach landings can take place. So in a fortnight, the closed runway will be made available for non-precision approaches. That will increase IGI’s arrival capacity,” an airport insider told TOI.
The sudden decision follows days of extensive delays triggered by the early arrival of easterly winds, an uncommon phenomenon this early in the year. Under these conditions, aircraft can only land from the Dwarka side and take off toward Vasant Vihar. This has created a bottleneck in operations, particularly affecting arrivals.
The issue came to a head on Friday during a high-level meeting involving the civil aviation ministry, Airports Authority of India (AAI), air traffic control, DIAL, and airline representatives. During the discussions, airlines raised serious concerns over the financial impact of altering their schedules.
“When Indian carriers were told about their 100 daily arrivals in IGI cumulatively breaching the 32-an-hour capacity because of which over 70% of the flights need to be shifted and some cancelled, they protested saying they stood to lose close to Rs 1,000 crore doing so,” a source told TOI.
In light of this, it was decided that runway 10/28 would temporarily resume operations during the summer rush and shut again for the ILS upgrade around mid-June, once traffic volumes decline.
Runway 10/28 was originally scheduled for closure from April 1 to allow upgrades ahead of the winter fog season. IGIA experienced major operational challenges in winter 2023-24 due to the lack of CAT III ILS on the Vasant Vihar end of the runway. The other end (Dwarka side) was slated to receive a CAT IIIB ILS as part of the now-deferred upgrade.
AAI’s internal review confirmed the limitations of closing the runway early. When easterlies blow, departures can be handled by two runways (29 and 11L), but arrivals are restricted to just one (11R). Conversely, with westerlies — the usual wind pattern in April — runways 27, 29L, and 29R can be utilized more efficiently.
“Without runway 10/28, IGI can handle a maximum of up to 32 arrivals when easterlies blow and up to 42 when westerlies blow,” an airport official told TOI. “The domestic summer schedule of airlines was finalised based on easterlies blowing only from May 15 and they cutting/rescheduling flights from then only.”
However, easterlies arrived ahead of schedule this year, complicating things for both airport authorities and airlines. On April 11, a powerful thunderstorm with winds reaching 74 kmph further disrupted schedules. Over 400 flights were impacted on April 11-12 alone, according to the report.
“The early advent of easterlies has meant that almost 100 daily domestic arrivals of scheduled airlines at IGI happen in the hours where arrivals cross the maximum 32-arrivals-an-hour mark,” a source told TOI.
As a result, airlines were asked to cut or reschedule flights to prevent excessive delays on the ground and in the air.
Terminal 2 closure adds to travel woes
Adding to the disruption, Terminal 2 at IGIA has also been closed temporarily for renovation and infrastructure upgrades, further straining airport capacity during the ongoing summer rush. The closure has led to rerouting of flights to Terminals 1 and 3, causing longer queues at security and baggage check-in, and crowding at boarding gates.
(With TOI inputs)
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