The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will close its runways for maintenance and repair on October 18. Mumbai Airport, which handles over 800 aircraft per day and is the second busiest airport after Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport, features two intersecting runways: the primary runway 9/27 and the subsidiary runway 14/32. The private airport operator said on Thursday that flight operations at Mumbai Airport will be delayed for six hours on October 18 for runway repair work, which is anticipated to have a substantial impact on travellers. "The runways 14/32 and 9/27 will be closed from 11 am to 5 pm on October 18," the authority said.
"As part of its post-monsoon preventive maintenance of runway intersection, major work like runway edge lights for runway 14/32, upgradation of AGL (Aeronautical ground lights), among other major tasks will be undertaken," it further read, "With more than 800 flights landing and taking off each day, this yearly practice of runway maintenance post monsoons is part of the series of activities undertaken with precision and meticulous efforts ensuring operational continuity and passenger safety, thus bringing to life the vision of imbibing passenger first approach at the core of our operations."In order to ensure a successful completion of the repair work, CSMIA (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport) stated that it has already rescheduled flights for the length of the runway closure in collaboration with important stakeholders. The airport administration asked the passengers' assistance in order to cooperate."Close to 95,080 passengers travelled through Terminal 2 (T2) and 35,294 were witnessed travelling through Terminal 1 (T1) with 839 total flight movements on this day," read a statement by CSMIA.