The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) has announced the completion of the recarpeting and renovation work on Runway 10/28 (also known as the second runway) of the Indira Gandhi International Airport to ease passengers’ winter travel difficulties. The re-carpeting is equipped with CAT III technology to ensure safe landings even in extremely poor visibility conditions.

According to the airport authority, the runway has been officially handed over to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) for commercial use starting February 3, 2024. With this addition, the Delhi airport now has four operational runways, sources said.

In mid-September 2023, just after the historic G20 summit, DIAL undertook the much-needed recarpeting of the 3,813-meter-long and 45-meter-wide second runway. The resurfacing of the runway was completed in December 2023, after which the Airport Ground Lighting (AGL) became operational.

DIAL has also introduced some additional taxiways. Passenger throughput across the three terminals will increase to 100 million passengers per year.

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia confirmed the development and wrote on

What is CAT III technology

CAT III is a navigation system that helps aircraft land in heavy fog and poor weather conditions with low visibility. It allows a minimum visibility of 50 meters during landing.

The initial cost of setting up the entire CAT IIIB system at an airport may be as high as Rs 10 crore and the monthly maintenance cost may be around Rs 50 lakh. The CAT IIIB system installed at Kolkata Airport cost Rs 130 crore.

How does CAT III work?

In the CAT II system, the pilot is guided by a signaling system until 100 feet above the ground, at which point the runway is no longer visible. In CAT III-B, the aircraft can descend to an altitude of 50 feet above the ground thanks to an advanced signaling system. Pilots are then presented with the approach and landing zone lighting system.

Category III B approach refers to a precision approach and landing with no decision height or a decision height less than 50 feet (15 m) and a runway visual range less than 700 feet (200 m) but not less than 150 feet (50 m).

The entire process is automated, with voice prompts using a countdown to tell the aircraft how far away from the runway it is, when it needs to extend the flaps and when it needs to apply the brakes. Other airports in the country supporting this technology include Amritsar, Jaipur, Lucknow and Kolkata airports.

How can flights and pilots become CAT IIIB compliant?

Passenger aircraft need to be CAT IIIB certified to be equipped with this technology. The airliner also requires pilot training, as not all pilots flying domestic aircraft are trained to land on the CAT IIIB system.

Therefore, flights that do not meet CAT IIIB standards cannot operate in areas where fog or low visibility is expected. Most airlines operating in India already have CAT III-B compliant pilots. In India, airlines that support CAT IIB include Vistara and Indigo.