Delhi’s IGI plans 4-month runway shutdown for key upgrades

DElhi airdrome testament potential closed its thirdly runway, 11R/29L, starting mid-February for at least four months. The closure is part of the latest infrastructure upgrade at the country’s busiest airport and will coincide with the summer travel rush.According to officials who asked not to be named, authorities have coordinated extensively to avoid the chaos that erupted during similar work last year, when thousands of flights were delayed and the upgrade works had to be abandoned.However, some industry veterans have raised concerns about the timing and whether the planning will prove adequate. “Though runway and ILS works are necessary, with ongoing Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) issues, the government could consider scheduling the repairs at a more convenient time, as this may result in some slot changes during the current winter schedule,” an industry veteran said.A meeting on the planned works was held at the Union civil aviation ministry on Thursday, where officials discussed a detailed plan for runway repairs. This will include replacement of instrument landing system (ILS) equipment at both ends of the runway, resurfacing, construction of a new rapid exit taxiway (RET), and extension of the drainage system at the runway end safety area (RESA).Last year, two separate runway closure attempts exposed critical coordination gaps in India’s aviation ecosystem. At the time, repairs were abandoned before authorities adopted more rigorous stakeholder consultation processes – including the need for the regulator to step in.While the February-June window comes during the tail end of Delhi’s fog season, when low-visibility conditions can already strain operations, it also overlaps with the peak summer travel season.“The work may begin from February 16 and continue until the end of June,” an official said. “The target is to complete the work before the monsoon. Pending final clearances, repair work is expected to be done in time.”In recent days, the ministry has conducted a series of meetings. “The ministry, along with the DGCA [Directorate General of Civil Aviation], AAI [Airports Authority of India] and airlines has held continuous discussions on the runway work and ILS upgradation since December. Detailed deliberations on the impact on capacity during the closure of RWY 11R/29L have also been carried out,” a second official said, requesting anonymity.Runway 11R/29L, commissioned in 2008, underwent minor rehabilitation works in 2017.A third official said detailed discussions with airlines have resulted in a rough estimate of operational changes: the airport is expected to handle around 1,515 aircraft movements daily during the closure period. Delhi airport currently handles about 1,550 flights daily when all four runways are operational.During the April 2025 closure of runway 28/10, the airport handled approximately 200 fewer flights daily — dropping from over 1,200 flights to around 1,000. When work resumed in June 2025 with proper planning, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) cancelled 114 flights daily and rescheduled another 86 to non-peak hours.This year, the airport will maintain its hourly arrival capacity of 38 movements per hour from 6am to 11pm during the closure, a ministry official assured. “The departure schedule has been adjusted to match arrivals and existing slots. Overall, the runways can handle the same number of flights, so no reduction in daily flights is expected,” the official added.Another official said the remaining three runways — the capital’s airport has four – will be reconfigured to balance out the extra load from the closed runway.“Runway 29Rwill be operated in mixed mode. However, runway 28 will only be used for departure flights and runway 27 will only be used for arrivals,” this person said.In other words, with runway 11R/29L closed, a parallel runway — 29R/11L, the airport’s newest runway operational since 2023 — will operate in mixed mode, handling both arrivals and departures. Runway 28/10, which underwent its own upgrade work in 2025, will be dedicated exclusively to departures, while runway 27/09 will handle arrivals only.It remains to be seen if this approach represents a significant evolution from April 2025, when the closure of runway 28/10 proceeded despite airlines maintaining full schedules. That episode lasted only four weeks before authorities had to abort the work after unseasonably high easterly winds reduced hourly arrival capacity from 42 to 32 flights, creating cascading delays that totalled nearly 320 hours across the country in just 10 days.For this year, the meetings covered last year’s experience.“Airlines have been advised to plan carefully, keeping in mind easterly mode limitations, and to adhere to the decided hourly aircraft movements. The ministry will closely monitor airlines and conduct monthly performance reviews,” the first official quoted above added.Easterly mode refers to when winds blow from the east, meaning aircraft must take off and land heading eastward. The easterly mode is a problem at Delhi airport because the runway configuration and taxiway layout are optimized for westerly operations, designed for the winds that prevail for most of the year.