Chennai airport is set to open its Bravo taxiway after nearly four years. The runway is scheduled to open on 14th July, saving time and fuel and eliminating air traffic congestion at Chennai airport.
The Bravo Taxiway is the primary taxiway that runs parallel to the Primary Runway of Chennai Airport, which caters to 90 per cent of the Domestic, International and Cargo movements.
Near the Guindy end, it had a curve that needed to be straightened. Because of this curve, flights travelling from the terminal to the main runway took more time and consumed more fuel.
In 2018, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) carried out work to straighten the taxiway of this taxiway – parallel to the main runway – as it delayed the movement of aircraft towards the main runway from the terminal. The taxiway is finally set to open on Thursday after repeated delays.
As per The Hindu report, after completing the straightening work, the DGCA gave the green light in April this year, and before commissioning, as mandatory, this was also notified in the Aviation Information Journal (AIP).
AAI officials say the main benefit of this taxiway straightening is that flights landing or taking off from the Guindy end of the runway can move faster between the main runway and the terminal, saving time and fuel.
“Sometimes during rush hour, planes have to wait 7 to 10 minutes to move between the terminal and the runway. Now with Bravo, it will be faster,” said an official.
Besides enhancing airside capacity, the new taxiway will increase the number of aircraft handled per hour on the main runway, according to AAI officials.
“This is crucial now as we are having close to 180-200 aircraft movements a day. If it goes higher gradually, managing the air traffic will become even tougher. The air traffic controller too will find it easier to manage and flights need not wait for clearances to land,” an official said.
Two rapid exit taxiways are under construction as part of an ongoing modernization project. Once completed and the runway is open to traffic (aircraft operate on the main and secondary runways simultaneously), the airport will handle nearly 45 aircraft per hour compared to the current 36.
In a press release, it was revealed that the minimum separation distance between the ‘Alpha’ taxiway and the centre line of the main runway has increased from 123 to 172.5 meters because of straightening the work done for the ‘Bravo’ taxiway. Hence, officials said the restrictions for using the ‘Alpha’ taxiway when Runway 25 is in use will no longer be in place.