 "Mumbai airport sets record due to charter flights for Ambani wedding")
Charter flights for Ambani-Piramal wedding celebration in Udaipur helped Mumbai airport achieve a record 1004 flights on Saturday.
Mumbai airport is busiest airport with single runway operation and the previous best was 1003 daily flights in June.
The airport sees 950-960 aircraft moments daily and on Saturday saw an additional 37 flights to Udaipur as celebrities, film stars and politicians made a dash to the city for pre wedding celebrations. This included charter flights operated by both scheduled airlines and non scheduled operators. AirAsia, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Vistara operated charter flights to the city.
Udaipur itself saw 141 flights on Saturday which is nearly five times the daily average. Celebrities attending pre wedding celebration of Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal included former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Sachin Tendulkar among others.
Typically, The Maharana Pratap airport in the city handles 32 flights daily.
Charter flights operated with Dassault Falcon or Bombardier aircraft do not require full runway length at Mumbai for take off and can get airborne from runway intersection. Also these planes have higher climb speeds which makes it easier for air traffic controllers to handle more departures from Mumbai in a hour.
Though Mumbai has two intersecting runways, only one of them is in operation at a time. The airport's main runway has a declared capacity of 46 movements per hour, and flight schedules and slots are approved on that basis. Flight movements on a given day can be higher because of non-scheduled or charter movements and thus on an average the airport sees 46-48 movements per hour during its peak hours. On Saturday it saw 51 movements in one hour.
London's Gatwick airport, which has the tag of being the most efficient single-runway airport, handles around 55 movements per hour and, unlike Mumbai, does not have round-the-clock operations and is shut from midnight till 5 am.
Mumbai airport is busiest airport with single runway operation and the previous best was 1003 daily flights in June.
The airport sees 950-960 aircraft moments daily and on Saturday saw an additional 37 flights to Udaipur as celebrities, film stars and politicians made a dash to the city for pre wedding celebrations. This included charter flights operated by both scheduled airlines and non scheduled operators. AirAsia, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and Vistara operated charter flights to the city.
Also Read
Typically, The Maharana Pratap airport in the city handles 32 flights daily.
Charter flights operated with Dassault Falcon or Bombardier aircraft do not require full runway length at Mumbai for take off and can get airborne from runway intersection. Also these planes have higher climb speeds which makes it easier for air traffic controllers to handle more departures from Mumbai in a hour.
Though Mumbai has two intersecting runways, only one of them is in operation at a time. The airport's main runway has a declared capacity of 46 movements per hour, and flight schedules and slots are approved on that basis. Flight movements on a given day can be higher because of non-scheduled or charter movements and thus on an average the airport sees 46-48 movements per hour during its peak hours. On Saturday it saw 51 movements in one hour.
London's Gatwick airport, which has the tag of being the most efficient single-runway airport, handles around 55 movements per hour and, unlike Mumbai, does not have round-the-clock operations and is shut from midnight till 5 am.
One subscription. Two world-class reads.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
SAVE 25%
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Subscribe
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors
Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share
Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor
Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements
Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
SAVE 25%