When Chandigarh will be all set to make the most of the summer vacations this May, the Chandigarh Airport will be closed for 20 days. The Chandigarh international airport will be closed from May 12 to 31. The reason is the second leg of expansion work at the airport.
The airport was earlier closed for a fortnight in February, from February 12 to 26. The runway repairs were underway to increase the length of its 9,000-feet runway by over 1,200 feet. The expansion would facilitate all wide body commercial aircraft operations from here. The remaining expansion work will be undertaken during the 20-day closure in May.
Though airlines have been requesting Airports Authority of India to reschedule the repairs as it is peak season, however the AAI is sticking to the schedule. “Yes, the airport will remain closed. This is known to airlines in advance so that they can prepare for the same,” said a senior Airports Authority of India (AAI) official.
During the 20-day closure period in May, close to a lakh passengers who are to fly in and out of Chandigarh are expected to be affected.
Repairs will enable night flying
As declared in Punjab and Haryana High Court by AAI, the repairs will lead to installation of CAT III-B Instrument Landing System (ILS) at the airport. This inturn could enable the night flying corridor for wide-body aircraft. It means Chandigarh might soon be aerially connected with countries in Europe, Canada, US, Hong Kong and Australia. For Punjabis especially this has brought a sigh of relief for their business and familial connections abroad may strengthen.
Source: Times of India
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