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Second runway at Delhi Airport operational now, enabled with CAT III easing winter flight delays

Feb 03, 2024 09:03 PM IST

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) declared the successful conclusion of the re-carpeting and refurbishment work on the second runway – Runway 10/28.

The second runway – Runway 10/28 – at Delhi Airport has been equipped with CAT III technology on Saturday, used during periods of low visibility for flight operations. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) declared the successful conclusion of the re-carpeting and refurbishment work on this runway at the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Runway 10/28 has been handed over to Air Traffic Control (ATC) for commercial operations since Saturday. (Vijayanand Gupta/ HT Photo)
Runway 10/28 has been handed over to Air Traffic Control (ATC) for commercial operations since Saturday. (Vijayanand Gupta/ HT Photo)

Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia shared on X (formerly Twitter) that CAT III has been activated on the runway. He wrote, “The CAT III enabled Runway 10/28 at the Delhi Airport has been operationalised today. This would ensure further mitigation of weather-related congestion issues.”

According to airport sources cited by news agency ANI, the runway has been handed over to Air Traffic Control (ATC) for commercial operations since Saturday. Now, Delhi Airport has four operational runways, the sources said.

Following the completion of rehabilitation work, Delhi Airport is poised for future operations at its full capacity. This development is expected to increase the passenger handling capacity of its three terminals to 100 million passengers per annum (MPPA), while the airside capacity will be elevated to handle 140 MPPA, ANI report further said.

Re-carpeting work at second runway

DIAL initiated a re-carpeting project for the 3,813 meters and 45-meter-wide second runway in mid-September 2023, completed in December 2023, and subsequent efforts focused on operationalising the Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL).

The rehabilitation project for Runway 10/28, undertaken by DIAL, aimed to enhance the overall passenger experience by introducing several additional taxiways.

DIAL executed re-carpeting procedures, encompassing the milling of the entire runway length and overlaying it with Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB).

Polymer-modified bitumen (PMB) combines bitumen with one or more polymer materials, elevating the mechanical properties of the bitumen. This enhancement allows PMB to endure heavy-duty traffic and withstand extreme weather conditions.

What is CAT III?

CAT III (Category III) technology represents an advanced suite of instrument landing system (ILS) capabilities designed to facilitate aircraft landings in extremely low visibility conditions, such as dense fog, heavy rain, or snow.

ILS CAT III furnishes pilots with precise and reliable guidance, offering detailed lateral and vertical direction, approach trajectory, and touchdown zone information. This enables pilots to execute precise landings even without visual references, significantly reducing the risk of accidents caused by factors like human error, spatial confusion, or miscalculations of landing distances.

The primary objective of CAT III is to enhance safety during landings when visibility is severely restricted. CAT III comprises different levels - CAT IIIA, CAT IIIB, and CAT IIIC - each specifying particular requirements and capabilities.

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport has adopted CAT IIIB ILS, an advanced anti-fog landing system. This technology is also in use at airports in Amritsar, Jaipur, and Lucknow, with the latest addition being the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, equipped with CAT IIIB technology.

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