Velana International Airport (VIA) has temporarily begun the use of the new runway as a parallel taxiway this morning.
With the introduction of the new runway as a taxiway, it is expected to smoothen operations at Velana International Airport. With the change, the runway that was used for 8 aircrafts within an hour will increase to 16 which is double the current capacity. Additionally, during peak hours more aircrafts can be accommodated.
The runway being used as a taxiway will also reduce the time taken by aircrafts to land and exit the runway from 10 minutes to 2 minutes as it cuts down the backtrack time. Hence, this will also allow additional aircrafts to takeoff and land without needing to wait for the runway to be clear.
Although the new runway is temporarily introduced as a taxiway, this runway is expected to operate as a fully functioning runway during the third quarter of this year. In accordance with the international standards, the runway is 3,400 meters long and 65 meters wide to accommodate the largest passenger aircrafts.
