Mumbai airport sets new record, handles 969 flight movements in 24 hours

The Mumbai airport recorded 969 aircraft movements, the highest in a 24-hour period, on Friday, eclipsing its previous best of 935 registered in May this year.

Officials said an increase in the number of flight movements using a single runway is an achievement for the airport operator and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

They attributed Friday’s record to a spike in non-scheduled aircraft movements in the afternoon — a period that witnesses fewer flights.

The operator, Mumbai Airport International Airport Pvt. Ltd. (MIAL), confirmed the feat. “Despite the airport being congested and geographical restrictions, we were able to handle a record breaking flight movements on Friday,” said the MIAL spokesperson, adding that the aim was to touch the 1,000 mark.

The over-crowded Mumbai airport handles 45 million passengers every year and is expected to reach its saturation point of 48 million passengers by March 2018.

The Mumbai airport became busier than UK’s Gatwick airport, which handled 44 million passengers in 2016-17. An AAI official said the airport handles a minimum of 46 flights per hour.

All flights at the Mumbai airport use the main runway. If the main runway is unavailable owing to repairs or any emergency situation, the secondary runway is used.

Explaining new procedures to reduce handling time and accommodate more aircraft per hour, a senior airport official, “On the final approach, the space between two flights has been reduced. Now landing and take-offs can take place simultaneously. Earlier landing clearance was given only when the runway was unoccupied.”