Airport to remain closed on two Sundays each month

Sources added that all flights which take off and land at the airport after 1 pm will be affected. Flight operators have been advised to shift flight timings on these days.

“The same flights can run in the morning. There will be a little crowding but it is possible with the current number of flights,” said a senior airport official.

He added that the runway was constructed in 1993 and its tarmac was to last till 2003.

“In 1993 it was not imagined that the air traffic on this airport would increase so much. The runway has lasted for 20 years without major overhaul. Now it is in a condition where it is coming apart at several places. We needed to carry out major repairs for which we closed the airport down for two days,” he said.

Presently,a flight either lands or takes off from the Chandigarh airport every 10-15 minutes. The airport,jointly run and maintained by the AAI and the Indian Air Force,is in for major expansion plans as well following the construction of an international airport in Mohali which abuts the Chandigarh airport.

“The runway of the airport would remain the same and will be extended to the Mohali airport side. This extension will be done in another year when the whole runway relay will take place. Till then we will have to carry out repairs and maintenance,” said an official.

According to an Air Force official,runaways are made of concrete and Bitumen. The middle pathway,which is 7,000-feet long,is made of bitumen and its side pathways of 1,000 feet long are made of concrete. On the first and third Sunday in every month,cold emulsion work will be done on the 7,000-feet long bitumen runway.

Despite several attempts,Chandigarh Airport Director H S Toor remained unavailable for comments.