RAWALPINDI: One of the runways of the Islamabad International Airport has been closed as a ‘dip’ appeared on it is being repaired by the authorities concerned.

However, the flight operation has not been affected.

Spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said: “It is a taxi runway.”

According to sources, the runway which is called as secondary runway was closed on April 23.

Shortly after the runway was closed, the CAA issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) intimating them that the secondary runway will not be available maintenance work on the runway.

It further said that no flight operation would be affected due to repair work.

When a senior official of airport management was contacted he said there had been a minor curve on the taxi way which is being repaired.

He said after it appeared, the headquarters was requested for a soil test of the area so that the repair work could be done permanently.

When asked how long it would take to repair the damage, he said the airport management cannot take risk; therefore, a NOTAM had been issued to all airmen. He expressed the hope that the repair work would be completed by the mid of Ramazan.

IIAP had been constructed with Rs 105 billion and had been made operational in May 2018.

The IIAP is having two runways each 12,000 feet long and 150 feet wide, taxi ways and apron for wide body aircraft.

When the secretary aviation Shah Rukh Nusrat was asked by Dawn about working of second runway, he replied: “It is a parallel taxi track on which negotiations are underway with engineers how to make it operational.”

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2019