Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport will cancel 114 flights and reschedule 86 daily during a three-month closure of runway 28/10 starting June 15. The upgrade aims to improve flight safety and capacity for fog season, while careful planning seeks to minimise disruption after earlier chaos during a similar maintenance attempt in April.
Delhi’s IGI Airport is set for a crucial runway upgrade that will enhance safety and operational capacity during the dense winter fogs that frequently disrupt flights. Runway 28/10 will be closed from June 15 to September 15 to undergo a CAT-IIIB compliance upgrade, doubling its hourly landing capacity from 15 to 30 flights. This improvement is expected to significantly reduce flight delays caused by fog, ensuring smoother winter operations. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has proactively engaged with airlines and stakeholders over several weeks to devise a flight schedule that balances operational needs and passenger convenience. The plan involves cancelling 114 flights daily—equally split between arrivals and departures—and rescheduling 86 flights to off-peak hours. This contrasts sharply with the April attempt, when poor coordination combined with unusual easterly winds reduced the landing rate, causing major operational disruption and passenger inconvenience.
The runway closure overlaps with the monsoon season, adding complexity due to variable wind patterns that can affect runway usage. With runway 28/10 closed, IGI’s remaining three runways—29R/11L, 29L/11R, and 27/9—will be reconfigured for arrivals, departures, and hybrid operations. However, easterly winds could limit arrivals to 32 per hour, compared to 42 departures, further challenging airport capacity during this period. The disruptions coincide with peak travel seasons, including the summer holidays and the festive and wedding seasons later in the year. Though this presents a logistical challenge, the upgrade’s long-term benefits will improve flight safety, reduce delays, and lower carbon emissions by minimising aircraft holding times and inefficient routing—advancing the airport’s sustainability goals.
Domestic carriers such as IndiGo and Air India are expected to cancel 33 and 25 flights daily, respectively, contributing significantly to the 114 flight cancellations. Other major airports in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Patna will see a 4 to 8 percent reduction in daily arrivals, reflecting a careful balance to maintain connectivity while managing capacity constraints. Following a directive from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, DIAL resumed limited operations on runway 28/10 on May 6 after the aborted April upgrade attempt. The ministry emphasised improved planning to avoid passenger inconvenience. DIAL’s CEO highlighted the cascading effect of flight delays, explaining that even a single hour’s delay can disrupt schedules for hours thereafter, justifying the pre-emptive flight cancellations and rescheduling.
This upgrade is essential for building a climate-resilient aviation hub in Delhi, aligning with broader objectives for sustainable and efficient urban transport infrastructure. Enhanced Instrument Landing Systems and fog compliance will allow safer landings under poor visibility, reducing fuel burn from holding patterns and contributing to lower emissions—an important step towards greener skies and equitable air travel for all passengers.
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