The airport had closed its doors for 14 days, from October 16, because the Air Force had decided to undertake resurfacing work on the runways. Several airlines, which had already made passenger bookings for the period, had to cancel flights and reschedule or refund flyers after the announcement by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) on October 5. Passengers and airlines were opposed, which was announced suddenly and in the middle of the holiday season when many people are making travel plans.

Airport manager Dhoke said the airlines had been made aware of the Air Force confirmation.

According to IAA officials, a total of 108 flight movements were scheduled for Saturday, including 56 scheduled arrivals and 52 scheduled departures.

Authorities have advised passengers to reach the terminal two to three hours before scheduled departure. “It’s festival season and the airport is reopening after a 14 day break. We are expecting a crowd for the next few days and therefore advise passengers to reach the airport two to three hours before the scheduled departure time, ”said Dhoke.

He said the embargo on night flights (8 p.m. to 8 a.m.) will continue for some time as work undertaken by the Air Force has not yet been completed. “We have been informed that the work is progressing as planned. I hope night time slots will be opened for civilian flights by December 1, ”Dhoke said. When the airport was temporarily closed on October 16, the number of daily flights stood at 100, with an attendance of around 16,000 passengers. The resurfacing work was supposed to take place between April and May of this year, but it was postponed. The Air Force had said the work was “inevitable” at this time as it was important to address the rapidly deteriorating condition of the runway.