West Asia Conflict: Repairs on part of airport runway halted

Indore: The resurfacing of 2,754-meter runway at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar airport has been suspended due to disruption in global supply chain of specialized bitumen. The shortage has been attributed to the ongoing West Asia conflict.The suspension of repairs has, however, not affected the airport's 24-hour operations which had been resumed from April 1 after restrictions on flight operations that were in place between 10.30 pm and 6:30 am were lifted.The repair work, which began in February last year, involved stripping old asphalt from the runway to lay a fresh surface. While the major part of the project has been finished, a second layer could not be applied to the 1,100-meter section of the runway. Airport officials said that this specific area was not critical for current take-offs or landings, and flight operations remain unaffected and safe.The suspension is primarily due to a shortage of Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB), the officials said.Indore airport PRO Ramswaroop Yadav said that the West Asia war has severely impacted the supply of this specialized material. "Unlike standard bitumen used in road construction, runway pavements require PMB or Performance Grade (PG) binders to withstand concentrated landing impacts, extreme shear forces, and dramatic temperature fluctuations," he said.SGSITS civil engineering department assistant professor, Vivek Tiwari, said that runway asphalt must meet much higher performance standards than highway materials. "PMB is utilized for its high elasticity, temperature stability, and resistance to fuel spills. Crucially, it provides superior adhesion to prevent ‘stone loosening,' which creates foreign object debris (FOD) that can damage jet engines. While major oil companies produce standard bitumen, the specialized blending required for PMB is currently facing logistical hurdles" he told TOI."Indian research institutes and IITs are reportedly working on domestic alternatives and durability studies to reduce future dependence on imported specialized binders," Tiwari said.Airport management had already extended the project deadline twice before opening the runway for full-time use on April 1.Officials said that the remaining work would be scheduled once the supply of PMB normalises.