New Delhi airport runway not fully operational at night

New Delhi, July 4 : The new runway at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here remains non-operational during peak hours at night causing congestion and delays at the airport, an official said Saturday.

Over 20 international flights were delayed at Friday night as only one runway (28) was operational, the official said.

There are three runways in the Delhi airport of which the runway 28, the oldest, is being used for the movement of big aircraft at night these days.

Flight operations at the new runway (29) was suspended after the residents of colonies around the airport complained of disturbances. The residents had demanded a halt to flight operations at night saying they could not sleep due to the noise.

'Also, the new runway is undergoing repair in phases, while the runway 28 (the oldest one) is being recarpeted,' said the airport official.

The third runway (27) is the shortest of the IGIA's airstrips and is not preferred for take-off for big aircraft. Also, it is far from the international terminal.

There are nearly 700 take-offs and landings at IGIA every day.