Delhi airport plans to shut third runway from February 16 for upgrade

No cancellations due to upgrade; airport currently handles about 1,400-1,500 aircraft movements per day

Delhi airport is planning to shut its third runway, Runway 11R/29L, for nearly five months starting February 16 to carry out a comprehensive upgrade.

 

The airport, which is operated and managed by GMR Group-led Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), currently handles about 1,400-1,500 aircraft movements (departures plus arrivals). 

 

“DIAL, in coordination with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other stakeholders, convened multiple high-level consultations to assess and mitigate the impact of the closure. Following this, it has been decided that the airport’s scheduled movement capacity will be maintained at 1,514 movements per day,” the airport operator said.

 

 

This means airlines would not have to cancel flights due to the upgrade, as the capacity freed up by the suspension of the third runway can be absorbed by the other three runways at Delhi airport.

 

The planned works for the third runway involve repairing and upgrading the runway and taxiways by removing the old surface and laying new asphalt layers, along with basic maintenance across about 500,000 square metres, said airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) in a press release.

 

The project also includes upgrading rigid pavements across 39,000 square metres and adding new pavement markings. Around 2,000 airfield ground lighting fixtures will be removed and reinstalled, and electrical systems, including windsock cabling, will be replaced.

 

A new rapid exit taxiway will be built to improve aircraft movement and reduce the time planes spend on the runway, while drainage at the runway end safety area will be widened, along with other related civil works.

 

The runway, which was commissioned in 2008 and has remained in continuous service for 17 years, will undergo essential strengthening and upgrade works to enhance safety, operational resilience and capacity to support future growth, DIAL stated.

 

Since becoming operational, the runway has been maintained regularly, including a minor rehabilitation carried out in 2017. However, a combination of increased traffic, higher operational intensity and natural ageing of pavement structures has made a comprehensive rehabilitation necessary at this stage, it mentioned.

 

The rehabilitation work is scheduled to begin on February 16 after obtaining the requisite regulatory approvals. The runway is expected to be recommissioned in early July, subject to approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

 

About 7.5 per cent of daily flights to and from Delhi airport were cancelled between June 15, 2025, and September 15, 2025, because another runway (Runway 10/28) was taken up for an upgrade during that period.