Bhubaneswar: Issuing fresh set of instructions, Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) authorities here said that flight operations will remain suspended for four months owing to re-carpeting of runways which was postponed earlier due to the pandemic.
The re-carpeting work, a standard procedure of re-tarring the runways to ensure smooth landing for aircraft, is carried out in every 10 years or depending upon the traffic an airport receives. The last re-carpeting work at the BPIA was last taken up in 2007. It was scheduled to begin in February but was later postponed as COVID broke out.
“Come October, flight operations at BPIA will remain suspended between 11pm and 7am every day for around four months for the runway re-carpeting work. The work was originally set to begin in November 2019, but was postponed to December and then again to February and further delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said BPIA Director, VV Rao.
While international flights continue to remain suspended, the BPIA is now operating 17 domestic flights. As per sources, the re-carpeting for 2,742-metre wide runway will cost about Rs 28 crore and will include re-tarring, maintenance and overhauling of the entire stretch. The work will also involve the enhancement of the parallel taxi track.
“The daily re-tarred portions will be prepared for flight operations by the time runway is handed back for normal operations. Flight timings will be rescheduled after holding discussions with various carriers and other stakeholders. The entire operation will be done in compliance with COVID guidelines issued by the government,” Rao added. Meanwhile, detailing about the COVID impact on the airport, Rao mentioned that the airport had suffered over 50 per cent loss during the COVID-19 lockdown while the passenger traffic had dropped by 75 per cent.
“The passenger inflow of the airport was higher than the outflow in May and June. The traffic had increased from 9,721 in May to 58,953 in June and further to 65,137 in July,” the airport authorities said.
