Delhi airport to cancel or reschedule 100 flights daily from June 15

Business Standard

23-05-2025

Passengers flying through Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport should brace for considerable disruptions starting June 15, with airport authorities preparing to cancel or reschedule approximately 100 flights each day for nearly three months. This move comes as part of a critical upgrade to one of the airport's primary runways, the Hindustan Times reported.
Runway 28/10 is scheduled to be shut down until mid-September to facilitate the upgrade of the Instrument Landing System (ILS) to CAT III B standards. This technology enables aircraft to land safely during low visibility conditions, which are particularly common during Delhi's dense winter fog.
50 flights to be cancelled daily at Delhi airport, 50 moved to off-peak hours
Around 50 daily flights will be cancelled, while another 50 will be shifted to off-peak hours. The airport typically handles an average of 721 arrivals and a similar number of departures daily, the report said.
'After reviewing air traffic flow and aircraft rotations and operational dependencies, about 100 individual flights will need to be either cancelled or shifted to off-peak hours,' said one official, as quoted by the report.
A second official added that this plan was discussed in a recent meeting chaired by Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Vipin Kumar. Leading Indian carriers, including the Air India group, IndiGo, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet, presented revised schedules during the meeting. The updated flight rosters are expected to be officially submitted to the ministry in the coming week.
April runway shutdown caused delays across major sectors
This planned maintenance follows a failed attempt in April, when a similar closure triggered massive delays across the country. Despite early warnings, airlines did not scale back their operations, resulting in widespread chaos and prompting an intervention by Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu. The work, which started on April 8, was halted and the runway reopened by May 5 after public outrage and a parliamentary committee's concerns.
Officials noted that the April decision to pause maintenance was influenced by the peak travel period during the summer holidays. The closure had reduced the airport's arrival capacity from 46 flights per hour to roughly 36, especially impacting traffic during easterly wind conditions, the report said. ALSO READ:
Low travel season chosen to complete pending CAT III B work
Authorities are optimistic that resuming the work during the June–September period — when travel demand tends to dip — will allow for smoother operations. 'It's better to take a small hit now than face large-scale delays when the fog sets in. This is all about being better prepared for winter,' said an aviation ministry official, as quoted by the report.
To minimise disruption, officials said the adjustments will primarily affect routes with multiple daily flights and lower passenger demand.
Revised flight schedules to be announced in advance
The civil aviation ministry plans to release revised flight schedules well in advance to help passengers avoid last-minute disruptions during runway maintenance at Delhi airport. Airlines are shifting flights from peak to non-peak hours to manage airport capacity more effectively. The maintenance work is being scheduled during the lean summer period, when aircraft load factors are lower, offering more room for operational adjustments, the news report said.