Delhi Airport to See Over 100 Flight Cancellations for Repair Work

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), operated by the GMR Group, has announced that one of the four runways at Indira Gandhi International Airport will be shut for maintenance from mid-June.

At a press conference on Friday, Videh Jaipuriar, Chief Executive Officer of DIAL, said Runway RW 10/28 will be closed for 90 days — from 15 June to 15 September — for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgrade. The upgrade will make the runway CAT III compliant, enabling low-visibility operations during the fog season.

Jaipuriar said that around 114 flights, or 7.5% of daily operations, will be cancelled due to the closure. As one of the country’s busiest airports, Delhi’s IGI handles approximately 1,450 flight movements daily. He added that another 86 flights will be rescheduled from peak to non-peak hours.

“We want to upgrade the runway to mitigate the issues we typically face during the fog season,” he said.

Delhi Airport currently has four runways — 09/27, 11R/29L, 11L/29R, and 10/28 — and operates two terminals: T1 and T3. Terminal 2 remains shut for maintenance.

The upgrade to Runway 10/28 was initially scheduled for April–May but was delayed due to planning gaps and unexpected changes in wind patterns that disrupted flight operations. Following public backlash over flight delays, the Ministry of Civil Aviation intervened and instructed DIAL to reopen the runway and defer the upgrade until after the peak summer travel season.

“On an average day, around 3–4% of flights are cancelled, so the impact this time should be minimal — unlike last time, when no rescheduling was done,” said Jaipuriar. “We’re coordinating with airlines to adjust slots and reschedule flights in advance to minimise passenger inconvenience.”

He said the runway upgrade is now expected to be completed before the October–December festival season and ahead of winter, when fog typically causes delays.

Jaipuriar explained that fog-related disruptions severely affect operations — for every hour of disruption, it takes three hours to return to normal. The impact is worse when easterly winds are involved, extending recovery time to six hours per hour of disruption. These delays affect not only Delhi but also surrounding airports.

He also acknowledged the growing impact of shifting weather patterns on airport operations.

“We're conducting a study as part of our climate change response plan. The frequency and intensity of erratic weather are rising each year, and this study will guide us in developing a detailed mitigation strategy,” he said.