Less luggage, late flights,

Only small, light planes allowed on shorter runway, as it closes for repairs; change will scramble flight schedules
size matters: The repairs at the Mumbai airport runway will make it impossible for bigger aircraft to land
Sit up and read. From October all that you thought you knew about air travel will change. Mumbai airport's proposed runway repair plan will close the runway to wide-bodied aircraft for six hours a day. Wide-bodied aircraft include the Boeing 777, Airbus A321 and the Boeing 747 class — all of which have two aisles with a 3-3-3 or a 3-4-3 seating. The repairs will also shorten the length of the main runway from 11,302 ft by about 2,000 ft, making it impossible for bigger aircraft to land. To ensure that aircraft don't overrun the runway, they will have to carry less fuel and possibly lighter cargo, which also implies less luggage. Only small aircraft like an ATR or a Boeing 737-300 will be able to use the runway. Six-month planNaseem Zaidi, director general of civil aviation, said, "We are yet to approve the airport's proposal for shortened runway use, while the repairs are taking place. Re-carpeting of the secondary runway and its intersection point with the main runway will take about three months." Aircraft generally take up 11,154 ft of the available runway length for landing and take-off."This would come down to about 1,700 ft in a shortened runway," said aviation expert Captain S Bob.Prepare for changeWhether the repair plan is approved or not, pilots are taking no chances. "We have programmed simulated flights with shortened runway length to keep ourselves prepared," said an instructor pilot from the Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots said.

(Mid-day/08/07/2009/By: Aditya Anand)