Runway Meltdown: Heatwave Disrupts Flights at Indore Airport

Two passenger flights to Indore were rerouted to Bhopal due to runway issues at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, caused by extreme heat melting the bitumen layer during repairs. Quick fixes allowed normal flight operations to resume rapidly. Passengers were transported to their intended destination by the airline.

On Monday, high temperatures caused the runway at Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport to face an unexpected challenge when the bitumen layer melted during repair work, leading to the diversion of two passenger flights to Bhopal.

Ramswaroop Yadav, the airport's public relations officer, explained that the re-carpeting work was scheduled between 11 PM and 5 AM. The sudden rise in temperature resulted in the bitumen layer loosening, requiring immediate attention from civil engineers who successfully completed repairs within 20 minutes.

While the runway was being repaired, two IndiGo Airlines flights were rerouted to Bhopal, with arrangements made to transport passengers to Indore. Flight operations at the airport resumed shortly after. Indore recorded a maximum temperature of 35.8 degrees Celsius, exceeding the norm by 2.8 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.