New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, India’s busiest aviation hub, is in the throes of a prolonged operational bottleneck triggered by the closure of a critical runway for maintenance.
The resulting air traffic disruption, which began in early April, has led to widespread delays, flight cancellations, and mounting frustration among passengers and airline operators alike. On 2 May alone, average departure delays touched 50 minutes, while 155 flights were delayed and six cancelled the next day—an alarming symptom of deeper inefficiencies in infrastructure planning and coordination. At the core of the crisis is the temporary shutdown of Runway 10/28, essential for managing high-volume domestic traffic and low-visibility landings. The runway, which is undergoing an instrument landing system (ILS) upgrade, was closed by the airport operator after receiving a formal nod from the Airports Authority of India. Yet, its closure collided with the early onset of seasonal easterly winds and thunderstorms, leaving the remaining runways under immense pressure and sharply reducing operational flexibility.
Despite prior warnings and a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued in early April, the fallout was aggravated by limited action from domestic carriers. Airline schedules remained rigid, with minimal adjustments made to accommodate the anticipated restrictions. Peak-hour congestion forced many aircraft into holding patterns or diversions, compounding emissions and operational stress. While the operator has advised cancelling 19 morning flights and rescheduling another 75 to night slots, carriers have pushed back, citing potential revenue losses of over ₹1,000 crore due to demand sensitivity in morning departures. Delhi airport’s four-runway system was built for resilience, but the incident has highlighted critical flaws in adaptive planning and collaborative response. Only two runways—10/28 and 11R/29L—are currently CAT III-B compliant, a necessity for safe landings in fog and low-visibility conditions. With 10/28 out of operation, and 11R left to handle disproportionate volumes, the airport’s infrastructure has effectively been operating at a suboptimal level.
Wind direction, often underestimated in public discourse, has played a pivotal role. Runway usage is dictated by wind patterns to ensure safe takeoff and landing. The stronger-than-expected easterly winds in April significantly constrained operational options, especially as the main CAT III-B runway was shut. Thunderstorms further limited operations during peak hours, exposing the fragile nature of Delhi’s air traffic ecosystem during seasonal transitions. A temporary reprieve is expected by 8 May, when Runway 10/28 will reopen briefly before a longer maintenance closure begins mid-June. Yet the broader question remains how prepared is India’s aviation infrastructure for weather disruptions and demand surges in a rapidly expanding sector. If current patterns persist without systemic reform, the capital’s airport may remain a pressure point in India’s sustainability and mobility goals.
While the situation may stabilise in the short term, the long-term solution lies in dynamic scheduling, predictive weather modelling, and greener, adaptive infrastructure that aligns with the vision of building equitable, zero-carbon cities.
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