Mumbai:
An already overburdened Mumbai Airport, which is the second busiest in the country, is headed for a troubled run.
Starting from Monday (November 1), its main runway (0927) will be closed for eight hours everyday - six days a week - from 9 am to 5 pm. And this will go on for the next seven months.
Authorities say runway 0927 needs urgent renovation.
They say the width needs to be increased from the current 45 metres to 60 metres so that mega jumbos like Airbus' A 380s can land and take off in future.
More crucially, it is bumpy and needs leveling. Also, the last time the runway got a makeover was way back in 2003.
While this runway is closed, Mumbai air traffic will be handled by the short runway. But this has its own problems.
The length of the short runway is only 9,600 feet as against the 11,300 feet main runway.
Being short it has load restrictions: A big plane with a full load of passengers or cargo cannot take-off or land. In the past, airlines like Singapore and Continental have refused to use it.
Right now Mumbai airport handles about 32 odd take offs and landings in an hour. With this runway closure, that number could go down for that period and result in a bunching of flights later.
With the third terminal (T3) in Delhi opening up, many carriers like Air India have already decided to make it their hub. This means a lot of air traffic, and with it money, could move out of Mumbai to Delhi.