Mumbai Airport to shut both runways for 5 hours on May 2

Mumbai Airport on Tuesday said both its runways will remain temporarily closed for operations for five hours on May 2 as part of the facility's monsoon contingency plan.

The scheduled temporary runway closure is an annual exercise and a contingency plan on the same will help maintain operational continuity and ensure passengers' safety, the private airport operator said in a statement.

The exercise involves specialists in engineering and airside teams inspecting the runway surface for micro-texture and macro texture wear and tear that may have occurred due to day-to-day operations and help strengthen the airside strip, it said.

The Adani Group-owned Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has two crossing runways-RWY 09/27 and 14/32.

The two runways will remain temporarily non-operational on May 2, for pre-monsoon maintenance and repair work.

The temporary closure will be from 11 am to 5 pm and a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has been issued in this regard, CSMIA said.

CSMIA said it has already intimated all its relevant stakeholders six months in advance and added that, this has also helped airlines to plan their flight schedules accordingly.

All operations will resume as usual from post 5 pm on May 2, it added.

Mumbai International Airport, which is the world's second busiest single-runway airport, handles around 900 flight movements each day.