Mumbai Airport: Two runways of the Mumbai International Airport will remain temporarily non-operational today (on May 9), the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) spokesperson informed the public. The runways will be closed for six hours from 11 am to 5 pm.
The airport manages approximately 950 flight movements per day. Runway 09/27 measures 3,448 meters in length and 60 meters in width, while runway 14/32 measures 2,871 meters in length and 45 meters in width.
Pre-monsoon maintenance and repair work
The spokesperson said that the primary runway 09/27 and the secondary runway 14/32 will remain temporarily non-operational for pre-monsoon maintenance and repair work.
"As part of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport's (CSMIA) monsoon contingency plan, the primary runway 09/27 and the secondary runway 14/32 will remain temporarily non-operational on 9th May 2024, for pre-monsoon maintenance and repair work," the release said.
A NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has already been issued to airlines and other stakeholders in December to plan rescheduling of flights ahead of time. "Hence, maintenance and repair work of the runway will not impact any flight movement or cause inconvenience to its passengers," the release said.
The airport has a network of runways, taxiways and aprons encompassing nearly 1,033 acres. According to the release, the maintenance involves inspection of the runway surface for micro-texture and macro texture wear and tear that may have occurred due to day-to-day operations and help strengthen the airside strip.
"All operations will resume flights as usual post 5 pm on May 09," it added.
Closing runways on a yearly basis is a routine practice, and a contingency plan is implemented to ensure operational continuity.
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