Flight operations at the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) have been rescheduled from Sunday morning, as the seven-hour closure of the runway for maintenance work commences.
The runway will be closed between 10.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. till April 3.
The closure — for maintenance — was announced by Bangalore International Airport Ltd. (BIAL) in January after consulting the stakeholders: the airlines, Airports Authority of India and the Director-General of Civil Aviation.
Maintenance work
The maintenance work will be carried out in a phased manner involving, in certain parts, closure of the runway, and in other parts, partial closure of facilities with minimal impact on airport operations, a BIAL press release said.
While some flights have been cancelled, most have been rescheduled and accommodated before or after closure hours. BIA handles 340 flights daily.
Meanwhile, all the airlines have geared up for the schedule changes.
Passengers have been informed either through travel agents or by the airline call centre while frequent flyers have been mailed.
Airline representatives felt inconvenience to passengers would be minimal as their airlines were intimated early enough.
Fighting boredom
BIAL has also made plans for passengers who may get stuck in the airport during the closure hours. It has tied up with KSTDC to offer short tours to Nandi Hills and Jain temple. While these excursions will be charged, passengers will be offered Wi-Fi facility for free.
