Parallel taxi track at Goa airport shut for drain repairs

PANAJI: The newly commissioned parallel taxi track at Goa International Airport has been shut and a portion of its embankment has been excavated to clear up an old storm water drain. The authorities have consequently issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) stating that the track will be unavailable till August 29.
Goa airport director Gagan Malik, however, said repairs are likely to last only for a week and that the NOTAM would be withdrawn by the next weekend.
The 3,700-m-long taxi track was built at a cost of Rs 125 crore by Dilip Buildcon Ltd (DBL) and was commissioned last December. The taxiway itself has not been touched.
“Due to work on taxiway A, a portion of taxiway A between the first link from civil dispersal to parking stand 11, including taxiway N1, is not available till August 29,” said a source citing the NOTAM.
The parallel taxi track allows aircraft to independently line up for departure or quickly leave the runway after landing, thereby significantly reducing arrival and departure times at the airport, specially during peak traffic hours.
“Only a limited part has been excavated, where we are solving a drainage issue. It’s a repair on the exit part of an old Navy drain for discharge,” said Malik. He explained that the NOTAM had been issued as a precaution.