Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA), managed by the Adani Group, has completed the recarpeting work on its 3.5 – kilometre-long runway in a record time of 75 days. This is the all-time record for brownfield runways in India.
Ahmedabad’s SVPIA is the busiest airport in Gujarat with over 200 flights per day in the pre-covid time.
Adani Airport Holdings Ltd (AAHL) tackled the challenge of recarpeting the runway without disrupting scheduled flight operations by using only nine hours of NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) per day.
SVPIA kept the runway open daily for 160 flights on average during the remaining 15 hours of the day during the 75 days it took to complete the project.
The project was originally scheduled to last 200 working days, beginning on November 10, 2021. However, in keeping with the brand’s ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiency and reduce passenger inconvenience, the Adani Group reset the target to 90 days by increasing resources.
Subsequently, SVPIA’s project team completed the work in just 75 days. The project entailed the support of 1 mn safe manhours and 600 individuals featuring staff and workmen along with over 200 sophisticated pieces of equipment.
SVPIA’s recarpeting record is all the more significant as other brownfield Indian airports like Mumbai, Kochi, New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad had more time at hand or had access to an additional runway.
According to industry standards, the runway recarpeting project would be completed in two phases over three calendar years. AAHL, on the other hand, took up the challenge of completing the work in the shortest amount of time possible.
SVPIA now has a complete airfield lighting system in the runway and connecting taxiways, which is equivalent to lighting an entire district of 12 to 14 villages, in addition to other upgrades.