Delhi Airport's Rehabilitated Third Runway Is Back in Service After a Seven-Month Shutdown

Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport has brought its third runway, designated 11R/29L, back into operation from 20 September 2026, after a rehabilitation programme that began around February 2026 and kept the runway closed for roughly seven months. The airport operator, Delhi International Airport Limited, carried out the resurfacing and strengthening work in coordination with the Airports Authority of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the airlines using the airport, with the project also adding a new rapid exit taxiway and upgrades to runway lighting and navigation aids.

Why it matters for travellers

IGI Airport is rated to handle more than 106 million passengers a year and, with all its runways available, upwards of 1,300 flight movements a day, making it one of the busiest airports in Asia. A closure of this length on one of four runways typically adds pressure to landing and take-off slots, especially during the airport's busiest morning and evening banks, so having the rehabilitated runway back in service should ease some of the scheduling strain airlines have been absorbing since February.

What to expect this winter

The runway's return comes just ahead of Delhi's winter schedule, when fog-related diversions and delays are already a seasonal risk at the airport; having a full complement of runways gives air traffic control more room to manage disruption once low-visibility procedures come into effect. That is separate from the airport's fog-specific instrument landing systems, which apply regardless of how many runways are open on a given day.

Confirm before you fly

As with any infrastructure change, the practical effect on specific flight schedules will vary by airline, time of day and, later this year, by fog conditions. Travellers flying through Delhi this winter should confirm their flight status directly with their airline or through the airport's own channels rather than assuming the runway's return alone will resolve seasonal fog delays.

Traveller tips

• The reopened runway does not eliminate winter fog delays at Delhi airport; low-visibility disruption remains a seasonal risk from December into January.
• Check live flight status through your airline's app or the airport operator's website, particularly for early-morning departures in winter.
• Build in extra connection time for flights routed through Delhi between December and January.
• The change affects runway operations only; domestic and international terminal processes are unaffected.