The Hindu : New Delhi News : AAI constructing parallel taxiway

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Apr 03, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

AAI constructing parallel taxiway

Staff Reporter

Also adding 10 other smaller taxiways

NEW DELHI: Implementing the recommendations made by the Roy Paul Committee almost a year later, Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started constructing a parallel taxiway. A step that will speed up things in the air, AAI is also adding 10 other smaller taxiways to ensure better manoeuvrability of planes and allow near simultaneous use of the runways. The result: the handling capacity of the airport will go up tremendously. "Despite Delhi having two runways, only one is being used for operations at a time because of the converging nature of the runways.

The secondary runway 27, is being mainly used as a taxiway, as there was no link route available for the aircraft landing on the main runway to go into the domestic apron,'' said airport official. Now with a major taxiway --being built at a furious speed -- being constructed parallel to both the runways, the secondary runway will be used for domestic departures. "This parallel taxiway will leave the secondary runway free for domestic departures, which will enhance the capacity of the number of aircraft that can be handled. Passengers will also not have to wait endlessly for their turn to land on Delhi airport,'' said a senior airport official. Solving problems of air traffic considerably, AAI officials believe the link taxiway being built will increase the handling capacity of the airport and it will go up to more than 40 to 45 planes per hour. "It will also reduce the amount of fuel airlines burn waiting for their turn to land, which will be a huge saving. Air Traffic controllers are also being trained by Australian experts in the simultaneous use of both runways,'' they added.

The efficiency of the main runway -- equipped with CAT III B landing system and used for most of the year -- was being hampered as it had only a few rapid exit taxiways. The smaller taxiways hope to correct that problem. The taxiway is likely to be operational only in May.

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