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Our Bureau

New Delhi, Aug. 21 The days of air travellers spending several minutes circling over Delhi while waiting for the aircraft to get clearance to land will soon become a thing of the past. The airport has started trial run of the third runway on Thursday, a move which will allow it to handle more aircraft.

Addressing the media after the trial operations, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, pointed out that while the airport can now handle about 40 take-offs and landing in an hour, this will increase to 60, even 70, when the third runway becomes operational.

The Chairman of the GMR Group, Mr G.M. Rao, said the airport should have three operational runways in the next two weeks.

“The airport will now have to seek clearances from various authorities and also inform airlines around the globe to include the third runway in the charts given to pilots. All this will take some time,” said a senior GMR official when asked why it will take another two weeks for the runway to become fully operational.

A joint venture company promoted by GMR, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) won the mandate to modernise the airport in 2006.

The successful trial of the runway has also propelled Indira Gandhi airport here into a special league — of being the first airport in the country and among the few in South East Asia, including Beijing and Kuala Lumpur, that have three runways.

The start of three-runway operations could also see an increase in the charges that airlines pay for using the airport, with DIAL having sent a proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation seeking permission to increase airport charges.

Official sources said that the request for increase was in keeping with the agreement signed between the Government and developers of the new airport.

“Two years after taking over the airport, the developer can seek permission to increase airport charges. The Ministry will examine the proposal based on how much of the mandated works have been completed before taking a final decision,” a senior Ministry of Civil Aviation official said.

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