Mumbai airport breaks own record
4 Feb 2018 5:39 PM GMT
MUMBAI: Mumbai airport, the busiest single-runway airport in the world, broke its own record when it handled 980 arrivals and landings in 24 hours on January 20, agency report said.
"Before this, on December 6, the airport had landed 974 flights," a Mumbai International Airport+ Pvt Ltd spokesperson quoted as saying. Though India's second largest airport has the record breaking numbers, Gatwick airport, UK's second largest airport, is still the most efficient single-runway airport in the world.
According to statistics from UK's Airport Coordination Ltd, Gatwick single runway declared an aircraft handling capacity of 870 flight movements per day for summer 2018. But, unlike Mumbai airport, which is functional 24 hours a day, Gatwick handles most of its flights in the 19 hours between 5am and midnight because of night time restrictions in force since 1971.
Gatwick single-runway's peak handling capacity is 55 air traffic movements (landings or take offs) an hour, while Mumbai has touched 52 movements an hour. However, unlike Mumbai, which rarely handles 52 movements an hour, Gatwick runway frequently handles 55 movements/hour daily during the peak hours between 6 am and 7.50 am; 10 am and 1.50 pm and 3pm and 7.50 pm. Mumbai, on the other hand, handles an average of
around 48 movements in peak hours.
"The most important difference between Gatwick and Mumbai is the environment the two airports are set in," says a senior air traffic controller from Mumbai.
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