The flight operations from the airport will remain shut from late at night to the next morning.
New Delhi: Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, will remain closed for night operation starting February 2025 according to a News 18 report on Saturday, September 7. The night operations will be halted as the runway is going to be repaired.
According to a news report quoting a tender order, the condition of the runway is not good and hence the Airport Authority of India (AAI) will spend Rs 25.27 crore on runway repairs. The repair work includes removing the runway surface and replacing it with a new layer, just like laying an asphalt road or re-carpeting of roads.
The flight operations from the airport will remain shut from late at night to the next morning for a year, according to the report adding that airlines and passengers will face difficulties for a short while.
The last time the runway was resurfaced was in 2017 but it has worn out due to the continuous flight operations therefore the resurfacing work needs to be done again. While the minor repairs are carried out throughout the year, the full resurfacing will take nearly one year to complete, said the report.
The report further says that the length of the current runway is 2,750 metres or 2.75 km, and during resurfacing, the entire runway will be replaced with a new top layer, with four to five-inch thickness, after which the signs and lighting will be installed.
The repair work will be carried out from midnight to 6 AM as it is a fully operational airport, so the night flight operations (late-night and early-morning flights) will be suspended during that time, and the existing flight will have to be rescheduled.
The tender offer is set for October 1, and the work is scheduled to start from February 2025, according to the report.
Airline operator Indigo is likely to be affected as the company operates flights to Bangalore, Pune, and early-morning services to Mumbai and Ahmedabad during the repair hours. The flights may have to be rescheduled in the upcoming winter, said the news report.