Flight schedules to change at Mangaluru international airport

Mangaluru: With Mangaluru International Airport deciding to carry out major recarpeting work on its runway starting from January 27, there is likely to be a change in the arrival and departures of some of the flights for a little over four months.

According to airport officials, the recarpeting work will take place between 9.30 am and 6 pm from Monday to Saturday (except Sunday and national holidays) until May 31, 2023. Airlines will be operating their schedules before 9.30 am and after 6 pm.

The airport has worked along with the airline partners to ensure that there will be no cancellation of flights to any destination (both international and domestic) while the flight timings are altered to accommodate the all-important runway recarpeting work.

“The 2450m long and 45-meter-wide concrete runway 06/24 was opened for traffic in May 2006, making MIA the first airport in Karnataka not only to have two runways but also the first airport to have a concrete runway. Since then this runway has undergone periodic maintenance. The scheduled rehabilitation/recarpeting will see MIA asphalt or blacktop the runway to standards specified by the regulator,” according to the Airport spokesperson.

The runway will be recarpeted to improve its micro and macro texture, and other related repairs conceptualized over the years. The work also includes the installation of the runway centerline lights which will aid the aircraft operations at night and in low visibility conditions and improvements to RESA. 

“This will enhance the safety as suggested by the committee of inquiry that probed the crash of IX 1344 at Kozhikode,” the spokesperson added.

Mangaluru International Airport domestically provides direct air connectivity to Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, and Hubballi. Internationally, the airport serves as a gateway to Dubai, Dammam, Muscat, Kuwait, Doha, Bahrain, and Abu Dhabi.