Mumbai airport operator completes runway repair, maintenance work ahead of monsoon

Mumbai, May 2 (PTI) Adani Group-owned Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), Mumbai on Tuesday announced the completion of its runway repair and maintenance work ahead of the monsoon season.

During the runway repairing work that was carried out between 11 am and 5 pm on Tuesday, CSMIA in cooperation with airlines, were able to effectively reschedule 150 flights on departure and arrival, it said.

During the closure period, CSMIA also carried out critical checks, which could only be performed during the runway closure, the private airport operator said in a statement.

The runway work started at 11 am and after careful assessment and evaluation, both runways — RWY 14/32 and 09/27 — became operational for all flight movements from 5 pm, CSMIA said in a statement.

The runway maintenance work was undertaken in keeping with CSMIA’s continued efforts to improve operational efficiency and reduce inconvenience to its passengers during monsoon, it said.

CSMIA is the busiest single runway airport in the world, with over 950 flights departing and arriving at the facility every day.

To enable smooth functioning in monsoon, CSMIA had early last month announced it will temporarily close the two crossing runways between 11 am and 5pm on May 2 for maintenance and repair work.

During the maintenance period, the facility operator said it carried out multiple runway inspections to be prepared for the adversities that come in with Mumbai rains.

Various pre-monsoon measures have also been implemented where waterlogging-prone areas are identified and inspected; health check of runways by machine and manual observation by trained specialists is carried out to find superficial cracks, disjoints and texture.

Close to 5,000 aeronautical ground lights on runways and taxiways are serviced and checked, whilst 1,300 ground markings, which provides directional guidance to aircraft are removed and repainted, it added.

Repair works around the runway such as segregation of electric cables for primary and secondary runway, minor and major repair on runway intersections, and other complex tasks were also carried out.

To mitigate any waterlogging, over 2,000 drains and duct banks across the maze of runways were opened, checked, and cleaned, CSMIA said and added that this ensures the integrity of cables, underground utilities, and the health of aeronautical lighting systems essential for navigation of aircraft. PTI IAS.