Chandigarh International Airport is shut for air traffic from May 12th to May 31st. The decision is taken to update runways and complete all pending repair works. This is the second phase of runway repair as the first phase was carried out between 12th and 26th February this year.
Chandigarh International Airport Ltd (CHIAL) PRO Deepesh Joshi in his recent interview said, “As per the NOTAM (notice to airmen), no civil and military flights will operate from Chandigarh from May 12 to May 31”. This shutdown is sure to affect hundreds of passengers, especially with summer vacation around the corner.
In the earlier upgradation process, runway length was extended from 9,000 feet to 10,400 feet to cater wide-bodied aircraft, including Boeing 777, 787 and 747. This was also to facilitate long-haul flights from Chandigarh to international destinations like Europe, USA, Canada and the UK. The high court has asked northern railway authorities to explore the possibilities of attaching extra coaches during the closure period.
