Mumbai International Airport’s flight operations will be suspended for six hours while maintenance work is done from 11 am to 5 pm.

The two runways at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), commonly known as the Mumbai International Airport, will undergo post-monsoon repair on Tuesday. Flight operations will be suspended for six hours between the hours of 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., according to a statement from the CSMIA.

“On October 17, both runways — RWY 09/27 and RWY 14/32 — will be momentarily out of service as part of CSMIA’s extensive post-monsoon runaway maintenance plan. As part of its yearly post-monsoon preventive maintenance routine, CSMIA has scheduled this brief closure. A CSMIA representative said in a statement that a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) had also been properly issued in this regard six months in advance.

The Mumbai airport reportedly handles close to 900 planes each day.

Why have flight operations been suspended?

The major goal of the planned temporary closure, according to the airport officials, is to carry out repair and maintenance tasks that are necessary to maintain the airport’s infrastructure to the highest standards.

According to the CSMIA, the yearly practice of runway maintenance following the monsoons is one of a number of tasks carried out with care and precision to guarantee operational continuity and passenger safety, thus realizing the vision of ingraining a passenger-first approach at the core of our operations.

“CSMIA has successfully booked flights in collaboration with all significant parties to guarantee a smooth conclusion of the maintenance. Passengers’ cooperation and help are anticipated, the CSMIA stated in a statement.

Mumbai Airport sees a 33% increase in passenger volume.

Mumbai International Airport reported on Monday that its passenger traffic increased 33% to 1.27 crore in the third quarter of 2018. Traffic increased by 109% as compared to the pre-pandemic period (Q3CY2019), according to CSMIA. According to reports, the airport saw 20,438 international ATMs and 60,861 domestic ATMs during the most recent quarter.

The airport authorities report that they counted 96 lakh passengers overall at the same time last year.

Source- Hindustan times