Lucknow airport runway recarpeting from Mar 1: New schedules in the works, airlines jostle for prime slots
Runway to stay shut from 10am to 6pm for over 4 months, 60-70% of flights may operate during night hours; work expected to conclude by July 15
LUCKNOW Airlines are in the process of revising flight schedules and jostling for prime-time slots in wake of Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International (CCSI) Airport undergoing recarpeting from March 1. The runway work, scheduled daily from 10am to 6pm, is expected to conclude by July 15, 2025, necessitating adjustments to flight schedules during these hours when the runway will be closed. For the convenience of passengers, flights will operate before 10am and after 6pm, said officials.
The CCSI Airport handles between 120-132 flights every day. Of these, approximately 24 are international flights. Nearly 58 flights will be slotted between 5am and 10am, while the rest (around 60-70%) will be rescheduled to night hours, including connecting flights. The fresh schedules will be released after February 25, they said.
Airlines have been in close communication with the airport administration to set new schedules in a bid to avoid cancelling flights as many have been booked months in advance, well before the recarpeting of the runway was planned.
The airport spokesperson confirmed that NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) was issued last Saturday, giving airlines time to prepare the revised schedules. But the rescheduling process has slowed down because many airline staff are engaged with India’s largest air show currently underway in Bengaluru. While rescheduling is expected to take some time, efforts are on to minimise disruptions for passengers, he said.
Airlines like Indigo, Air India, Air India Express, Vistara, Akasa Air, Fly Big, Star Air, Saudia, Oman Air, Fly Dubai, Thai Air Asia, Air Asia Malaysia, Salam Air, Flynas operate from Lucknow. Indigo Airlines, being the largest operator, runs 150 flights per week from Lucknow.
Krishna Kant Bharti, in charge of Indigo Airlines at Lucknow airport, stated, “We received the NOTAM on Saturday, but currently most of our staff is busy with the air show in Bengaluru. We will only be able to finalise the new schedule in the next three to four days.”
Praveen Aiyar, co-founder of Akasa Air, said flights will be rescheduled shortly.
Official of another airline said though the rescheduling process is underway, the fight is for getting the prime slots - between 6am and 10am and from 6pm to 11.30pm.