Turn-pads widened at Indore Airport to accommodate world's largest twin jet plane

Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, is all set to reinstate flight operation during late night hours from 1st August. Reportedly, the flight movement remained temporarily suspended since 27th of June, given the turn-pad expansion at the airport. Expansion of the airstrip, and the turn-pad in particular, was done to the host arrivals of the President and Prime Minister’s planes at Indore Airport.

Among over two dozen AAI airports, Indore airport recently went through expansion, in which width of turn-pad was increased by four meters. For this, flight operations at Indore airport were suspended during night hours between 11:00 pm and 06:00 am from March 27th.

The turn-pad is a defined area, adjacent to the runway, used by aircraft for a 180-degree turnaround on a runway. Airport officials claim that the runway turn-pad expansion work has been completed 8 days ahead of schedule, and the same has been communicated to the Airport Authority of India (AAI).

Post expansion, Indore airport will allow smoother landing of bigger aircraft like Boeing-777, which is the world's largest twinjet. The Central Government has purchased two new Boeing-777 aircraft for the President and the Prime Minister. These planes are almost twice as big as normal passenger planes. On 31 August 2021, the PM's plane had also come to Indore as an experimental flight, but without landing, and flew close to the runway.

As per reports, Indore airport hosted almost 6000 passengers on 26th July. The passenger count will likely increase with the newly resumed night flight services.

The airport also plans to propose seven flights from Indore under the summer schedule, post runway turn-pad expansion.