Shirdi Airport runway recarpeting set to boost connectivity

Recarpeting the runway will enable Shirdi Airport to operate around-the-clock after work is completed.

The Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC), which manages and operates the airport, anticipates that recarpeting work is scheduled to continue until February of next year. The contractor is working on other places, like taxiways, and the hot cement mixing facility has already been set up, according to Shirdi airport director Gaurav Upshyam, who additionally states that early work connected to re-carpeting has already begun. He continues by saying that after the rain passes, the runway’s major construction is expected to start in early October.

The airport was officially opened by former President Ram Nath Kovind in October 2017, and it was granted permission by the DGCA to operate until dusk in February of last year. But flights after sundown are not underway yet. According to a MADC official, re-carpeting work is being scheduled for after sunset, commencing at 6:30 pm and lasting until 10:30 am, because the airport is only open from 11 am to 6 pm. The official stated that although the main runway area will be properly re-carpeted, any decisions about possible impediments to flight movements would depend on the circumstances at the moment.

Upshyam states that negotiations with airlines are still in progress, but it is anticipated that the airport would be active around-the-clock after the re-carpeting project is finished. He went on to say that the airport’s 3,200-meter runway is being utilised solely for 2,500 meters at the moment. Airlines will be allowed to use the entire route once the re-carpeting is finished.

The director also indicates goals to work towards a new terminal building, which will require additional CISF officers and other infrastructure, and mentioned that about 2,000 travellers utilise the airport for arrivals and departures every day.

16