The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has declared temporary changes in flight operations at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport as part of the upcoming summer schedule. The decision has been taken to carry out major runway and airfield infrastructure upgrades at the airport.
As per a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued by AAI, the airport runway will remain closed daily from 13:45 hours to 21:45 hours between April 1 and September 27, 2026. No flight operations will take place during this period each day. Airlines have revised their schedules accordingly, and flights will operate only outside the notified closure window.
According to airport authorities, the shutdown is necessary to undertake important works, including runway recarpeting, development of Runway End Safety Areas (RESA), replacement of Airfield Ground Lighting (AGL), and installation of an Integrated Lighting Control and Monitoring System (ILCMS).
Currently, the airport handles 62 flights under the summer schedule, comprising 40 domestic and 22 international services. Domestic flights connect Amritsar with cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kullu, Srinagar and Pune. International routes include Doha, Dubai, Singapore, Birmingham, London Gatwick, Kuala Lumpur, Sharjah and Bangkok.
Bhupinder Singh, Airport Director, said the 3,658-metre runway, which can accommodate wide-bodied Category E aircraft like the Boeing 747-800, requires mandatory recarpeting to maintain safe operations. The work will involve laying two layers of 50-mm thickness across the entire 60-metre width of the runway. The runway will reopen daily after 21:45 hours with all required visual aids restored.
Officials added that the runway overrun areas will also be recarpeted. This step will improve safety during emergency conditions like aircraft overshoot or undershoot incidents.
The Runway End Safety Areas at both ends of the runway, designated as 16 and 34, will also be upgraded in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards.
AAI will replace more than 2,000 conventional airfield ground lights with energy-efficient LED lighting systems. These lights provide brighter illumination and have a longer operational life of more than 50,000 hours. This upgrade will support the airport’s Category III status, allowing flight operations even during low visibility and dense fog conditions.
The new Integrated Lighting Control and Monitoring System will enable real-time monitoring of the entire airfield lighting network from the control room and Air Traffic Control (ATC). Currently, physical inspection of lighting systems before landings in low visibility can take up to 30 minutes. With the new system, faults can be identified and rectified immediately, improving efficiency and reducing delays.
AAI officials said the planned works are essential to maintain high safety standards and strengthen long-term operational efficiency at the airport. Passengers have been urged to check updated flight timings with airlines before travel and keep extra time in hand to avoid inconvenience.
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