Mumbai Airport’s runway closure is starting to become a yearly thing now. They had shut both the runways for maintenance from October 18, 2016, through November 28, 2016. Then the main runway was shut for six days a week from February 2017 through April 2017. Then for six hours on October 23, 2018.
Mumbai airport shut down both the runways, three days a week, for six hours, in February and March 2019 for runway repairs. On those days, when the runway closure was in effect, around 250 flights were cancelled and more than 40,000 passengers were affected. Many airlines with a huge presence at Mumbai airport like IndiGo, Air India and Jet Airways took a hit.
Mumbai Airport runway repair Source: The Hindu
The last shift for repair was over on March 30, 2019. Now, the Mumbai airport is back in full swing for peak summer travel. Flight operations are back to normal. Even Jet Airways plans to restore some of the cancelled domestic flights out of Mumbai airport.
Mumbai airport has two cross runways, 09/27 (main runway) and 14/32 (secondary runway), which intersect each other. Around six hundred personnel worked in a six-hour shift to recarpet 50,000 square metres of the runway intersection. These repairs will last for around 7-8 years.
Mumbai Airport runway repair
Even 275 runway lights were replaced during the repair work. According to MIAL,
The key to success of this project was handing precision on-time re-carpeting work of the runway within its stipulated 6 hours, maintaining Mumbai’s challenging flight schedule. A military disciplined process was followed right throughout the planning, designing and construction stages with limited aircraft downtime.
Mumbai Airport runway repair Source: The Hindu
The good news is that Mumbai Airport is fully functional round the clock, 7 days a week from March 31, 2019. All repair works have been completed.
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