Delhi airport's third runway may remain shut till September as authorities work to enhance aircraft-handling capacity by 10%.
The runway was initially due to reopen in early July but has been pushed back to allow for key systems to be put in place to add at least eight flights an hour.
The extended closure will enable Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) to undertake civil work, reduce the runway's displaced threshold, and replace a key navigation system.
These changes are expected to increase the capacity of the country's largest airport by about eight aircraft movements per hour.
Officials estimate that the extended closure will allow them to complete all the planned work at one go, avoiding another lengthy runway closure in the future.
