Mumbai airport completes runway repair, maintenance work; 150 flights rescheduled

Mumbai: Adani Group-owned Mumbai international airport said on Tuesday it has completed the runway repair and maintenance work ahead of the monsoon season, an exercise which necessitated the rescheduling of 150 flights.

The private airport operator said it temporarily shut the runway between 11 am and 5 pm on Tuesday to facilitate the maintenance and repair work. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has two intersecting runways.

CSMIA’s monsoon contingency plan has been put in place in coordination with internal and external stakeholders, the airport operator said.

The contingency plan intends to respond to and mitigate possible inclement weather, ensuring business continuity and assurance to all airlines and passengers that the airport functions round the clock, it said.

The runway work started at 11 am and after careful assessment and evaluation, both runways were made available for flight operations from 5 pm. CSMIA, in cooperation with airlines, was able to effectively reschedule 150 flights on departure and arrival, the operator said.

Given that Mumbai receives 400 to 700 mm average rainfall every year, CSMIA carried out multiple runway inspections to be prepared for the adversities during rains, it said.

The monsoon usually arrives in the city by the second week of June. According to the airport operator, various pre-monsoon measures have also been implemented where waterlogging-prone areas were identified and inspected.