SHANKUMUGHAM: The runway of Thiruvananthapuram airport will be closed from Tuesday for re-carpeting. It will be closed from nine in the morning to six in the evening. Improvements are being made to ensure safety.
Take-off and landing timings of daytime services have been rescheduled. Passengers should understand the new schedule from their respective airlines in advance. 96 services are operated daily during the day from Thiruvananthapuram airport. The 3374-meter-long and 60-meter-wide runway was last upgraded in 2017.
In the recarpeting method, the surface of the existing runway will be removed and rebuilt to ensure friction as per international standards. The current Airfield ground lighting system will be converted from halogen to LED. A new stop bar light will be installed. After nearly a year of preparations, the renovation of the runway will begin on Tuesday.
The duty hours of the employees at the airport have also been rearranged. The duty hours of most of the employees have been arranged in different shifts at night. Training flying at the flying club will also be affected by the recarpeting work. Discussions are also active to start more services from Thiruvananthapuram in the summer schedule from April.