From January 17 to May 31, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad will close its runway for nine hours every day for scheduled recarpeting work.
According to a spokesperson for the Ahmedabad Airport, the scheduled recarpeting work will occur between 9 am and 6 pm daily for the next four and a half months. The recarpeting works are exempted on Sundays and other national holidays.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, run by Adani Group, had requested permission from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in September 2021 to close its runway for nine hours every day starting in January 2022. The construction was supposed to begin in November 2021, but the works were pushed forward to meet the rush of festive seasons.
Runway closures are required procedures according to international safety standards to ensure aircraft safety and extend runways’ lifespan. All relevant parties have been informed in advance and given adequate warning to alter schedules to minimise passenger disruption throughout the period, as directed by the safety regulator DGCA.
Overlaying the runway, grading and slope evaluation of the runway strip, grading and slope assessment of the runway end safety area, stormwater drain construction, and reinstallation of signage in the manoeuvring area are the primary works considered under Ahmedabad Airport’s recarpeting work.
Although recarpeting runways is the first work for Ahmedabad airport in 2022, it decked up its premises in the last week of December 2021 by adding new amenities during the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2022. The authorities constructed a walkway connecting the domestic terminal to a taxi parking stand at the airport. The airport added a separate parking space to accommodate nearly 100 app-based taxis outside the domestic terminal. It also established a new GA terminal to manage non-scheduled operations.
SVPI airport handles 5-7 charter flight movements daily. The airport has space to park as many as 43 aircraft in its hangars.
COVID-19 protocols intensified at Ahmedabad airport
Meanwhile, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has intensified the COVID-19 protocols of the airport amid the rising Omicron cases in the country. SVPI airport has started notifying passengers about maintaining social distancing and wearing masks through text messages. Besides displaying messages across the vicinity, multiple announcements are made at the airport.
