The long taxiing time taken by domestic flights using the new runway will hopefully see an end soon. The mixed mode use of runways, under which domestic flights will use the main runway and international flights will use the new runway. Will be fully implemented probably by October 23, bringing an end to the extra 25-30 minutes that domestic passengers spent on ground before their flights took off.
The directorate general of civil and the civil aviation ministry has proposed this system due to the inconvenience being faced not just by domestic airlines but also by passengers. Trail runs started last month and sources said that the ministry wanted it in place before the winter fog sets in. Civil Aviation secretary MN Nambiar said: “Passenger convenience is paramount and this will make a huge difference in airline operations. At present, the system works till lunch time but by October 23, we are hoping to have it work through the day.”
At present, with one runway used for arrival and the other for departure, domestic airlines have to taxi for a good 9km extra. Since the taxiway connecting the two runways is only towards the Dwarka side, domestic airlines that needed to take-off from the new runway towards the Dwarka side were spending at least 25 minutes taxiing to that point in good weather and a good 40 minutes during poor visibility.
“While the new runway eased congestion to a large extent in Delhi, domestic airlines were not really benefiting due to the long taxiing time involved in using the runway. The new process will not only make things better for them but also further reduce congestion,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official.
However, sources in the air traffic control say that the new mode of operations may not be fully used during the fog months when visibility falls due to the fog. The present guidelines prescribe CAT-1 conditions or a minimum visibility of 550m for mixed mode use whereas winter sees several hours of visibility much lower than this. The mixed mode also needs to be discontinued for several reasons that include VIP movement, full emergency conditions stc.”Still, even for the time that it can be implemented, the plan will make operations much smoother and efficient at the airport .We will see how best it can be implemented for as long as possible, “said sources.
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