Archive · 21 Jan 2026
Delhi Runway Closure May Increase Airfares
A runway at Delhi's airport is closing for four months starting February 16.
This might make it harder for planes to take off and land, especially during the busy summer travel season.
The airport says they will try to keep the same number of flights, but airline experts think this might be hard.
If there are delays or bad weather, airplane tickets from Delhi could become more expensive.
The airport is trying to fix this by using the other runways differently and asking airlines to stick to their schedules.
Last year, similar problems caused many flights to be delayed.
Runway 11R/29L at Indira Gandhi International Airport will close from February 16 for at least four months.
DIAL plans to maintain 1,514 daily flights despite the closure, but airline executives warn of potential fare increases.
A 10% reduction in airport capacity typically leads to a 5% rise in average fares.
The closure overlaps with the peak summer travel season and potential weather disruptions.
DIAL will reconfigure operations across remaining runways to mitigate the impact.
- Who
- Delhi International Airport (DIAL) and airline executives
- What
- Closure of Runway 11R/29L at Indira Gandhi International Airport
- When
- Starting February 16, 2025, for at least four months
- Where
- Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
- Why
- For maintenance work, which may reduce capacity and increase airfares
- Runway Closure
- Runway 11R/29L at Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Closure Duration
- February 16 to at least July 2025
- Current Daily Flights
- 1,550
- Planned Daily Flights During Closure
- 1,514
- Expected Capacity Reduction
- 15-20% at certain times
- Potential Fare Increase
- 5% with 10% capacity reduction
- Peak Travel Season
- February to June