Srinagar: Tourist inflow to Kashmir during the Summer phase (June to August) will be severely affected as authorities have decided to close the Srinagar airport twice a week for three months from July 1 and completely shut down operations for another 15 days in October.
Essential maintenance of the runway has necessitated this move, officials said, as reported by NDTV.
Officials confirmed that the partial closure of the airport will start from July 1 and continue till September 30. From October 1, flight operations will remain completely suspended for a fortnight
Airport director Javed Anjum said passenger flight operations will be suspended on Monday and Tuesday every week in the months of July, August and September to carry out repair maintenance and expansion of the runway. He said a complete suspension of flight operations will start on October 1 when work on the central part of the runway will be carried out.
“It’s after a gap of 15 years that maintenance of the runway is being carried out. It was taken up last in 2011. For three months, flights will be suspended for two days a week. But when work on the central part of the runway is taken up, no flight operations will be possible. So, all the flight operations are suspended from Srinagar airport between October 1 to October 15,” Anjum said.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) had earlier issued a Notice to Airmen or NOTAM, restricting flight operations at Srinagar Airport between 8 am and 5 pm. This led to the suspension of all the late evening and early morning flights at Srinagar airport.
Around 100 flights operate from Srinagar Airport during the peak season, but due to restricted time of flight operations, the airport currently manages less than 40 flights daily.
The airport at Srinagar is operated by the IAF, which also maintains the runway. The original plan was to keep the airport shut on Saturdays and Sundays between August 1 and October 15, but this changed, and the repair work was preponed, officials said.
Instead of weekends, the airport will now be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Officials said that the airport is crucial for India’s defence, as was evident during Operation Sindoor. The maintenance and expansion work will have to be completed before the winter, they said.
