Runway recarpeting: Thiruvananthapuram airport runway to be partially closed from January 15 to March 31

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to undergo major runway recarpeting work, leading to flight rescheduling and cancellations for safety.

After a gap of around 10 years, the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will go for a major runway recarpeting work starting January 15.

The recarpeting work on the 3,400-m runway will last till March 31, forcing the airport authorities to close the runway partially, necessitating the rescheduling of many flights and cancellation of some to ensure the speedy completion of the work.

The runway recarpeting was last carried out in 2015, and the work involves milling the entire length of the runway, including the runway shoulders, taxiways, and runway-end safety areas, and overlaying it with new blacktop, chiefly polymer-modified bitumen. Over the years, the continued use of the runway for landing and take-off of aircraft has led to the wear of its top layer, where rubber particles from the aircraft wheels are also deposited. The recarpeting of the runway is essential for maintaining the safety of the runway, including its friction value.

The work is estimated to cost a little over ₹100 crore, and the airport has given a nine-hour NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day to carry out the re-carpeting work without impacting the operations of scheduled flights. The airport handles over 100 aircraft movements and an average 15,000 passengers a day. The recent highest passenger movement through the airport was 16,578 on December 22.

The airport authorities discussed the recarpeting project with the airlines and other stakeholders, ahead of obtaining mandatory regulatory approvals. Flight timings will be rescheduled to accommodate the recarpeting work. The cancellation of services would be minimal while several flights, mainly domestic ones, would be rescheduled, said sources, adding that the rehabilitation of the runway would enable the airport authorities to bring in more flights.

According to sources, the upcoming summer schedule will see a major increase in services. Akasa Air is expected to start new domestic services from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru or Hyderabad, while Air Asia will start regular service to Bangkok from Thiruvananthapuram. Air India is in consultation with the airport authorities for starting Thiruvananthapuram-London Gatwick services. Further, there would be an increase in the frequency of services on various domestic and international routes.

The airport, the second largest in the State, has services to and from 11 domestic and 14 international destinations.