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Indira Gandhi International Airport: New Runway at Indira Gandhi International Airport opens for Commercial Operations(M2 PressWIRE Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) RDATE:25092008 New Delhi -- IndiraGandhiInternationalAirport's third runway 11-29, opened for commercial operations today. At 0618 hours this morning, a Boeing 777-300 aircraft operated by British Airways became the first commercial flight to operate from the new runway. IGIAirportis now the country's only airport with three operational runways. Developed by Delhi International Airport (P) Limited (DIAL), a joint venture consortium led by GMR Group, the new runway is part of the Master Plan to develop the IGIAirportinto a modern travel hub. Inaugurated 6 months ahead of schedule is the longest runway in India and is capable of handling the largest aircraft category i.e. Code F which comprises of giants like the Airbus A380 and the Antonov An-225. The runway had earlier been inaugurated by Hon'ble Minister of Civil Aviation, Sh. Praful Patel when the first proving flight - a Boeing 777 operated by Air Indialanded on August 21, 2008. Just before landing, the pilot of the British Airways Flight 257 coming in from London Heathrow informed passengers that they were the first passengers to land on this new runway. On touching down, the aircraft was given a ceremonial water canon salute by fire tenders from the IGI Airport Fire Service. Upon reaching the terminal, the passengers were accorded a traditional welcome by DIAL staff with Aarti , Tilak, & Garlands. Passengers were excited about this historic occasion and the welcome ceremony. The pilot of the flight gave full marks to the runway and commented that it had one of the best lighting systems that he had seen anywhere in the world. CONTACT: Mark Walters, Associate Vice President FD Corporate, FD Tel: +44 (0)20 7269 7237 Tel: +44 (0)77 7623 7796 Fax: +44 (0)20 7831 6038 WWW: http://www.fd.com ((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to [email protected])). Copyright ? 2008 M2 Communications Ltd. |