Re-carpeting of runway of BPIA, flight operations likely to be

Flight operations from the Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) here is likely to be rescheduled from November due to the re-carpeting work of the runway, an official said on Tuesday.

The runway re-carpeting work will be undertaken in the first phase from November 1 to March 31, 2020. During this phase the work will be conducted from 10 pm to 5.30 am, BPIA director S C Hota said.

The second phase of the recarpeting work will be done from April 1 to June 30, 2020. The work during this phase will be conducted from 10 am to 6 pm, he said.

"The airlines have been intimated about our plans by the Airport Authority of India headquarters," Hota said adding that the previous re-carpeting of the runway was done in 2007.

He said re-carpeting should be done every 10 years to maintain the safety of flight landing.

Replying a question, Hota said that re-carpeting is mostly done based on the use of runway of a particular airport. About 48 flights including some international flights operate from BPIA every day.

About Rs 28 crore is estimated to be spent for the re-carpeting of the BPIA's 2,741 meter long runway. The work will include re-tarring, maintenance and overhauling of the entire stretch of the runway, the official said.

He said the work for joining the parallel taxi-track with the runway will also be taken up during this period so that further closure is avoided.