Mangaluru airport to improve runway; Flight schedule to be affected for 4 months

Mangaluru: Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) will carry out major rehabilitation and recarpeting work on its runway for a little over four-month period starting from January 27. The work will take place between 9.30 am and 6 pm from Monday to Saturday on all days except Sunday and national holidays until May 31, 2023.

The airlines will be operating their schedules prior to 9.30 am and after 6 pm in the period, a release from MIA here said Sunday.

The 2,450 m long and 45-metre-wide concrete runway was opened for traffic in May 2006, making MIA the first airport in Karnataka not only to have two runways, also the first airport to have a rigid pavement or concrete runway.

This rigid pavement runway has since then undergone periodic maintenance. The scheduled rehabilitation and recarpeting will see MIA asphalt or blacktop the runway to standards specified by the regulator.

The runway will be recarpeted to improve its micro and macro texture, and other allied repairs conceptualised over the years. The recarpeting work also includes installation of the runway centreline lights which will aid the aircraft operations at night and in low visibility conditions and improvements to runway end saftey areas (RESA).

This will enhance the safety as suggested by the committee of inquiry that probed IX 1344 plane crash at Kozhikode in Kerala.

MIA has discussed the recarpeting project with the airline and stakeholders concerned prior to obtaining regulatory approvals. The airport has worked along with the airline partners to ensure that while the flight timings are altered to accommodate the all-important runway recarpeting work, there will be no cancellation of flight to any destination, both international and domestic, the release said.