Velana International Airport has temporarily started using the new runway as a parallel taxiway.
1st February 2022 – The newly built runway of Velana International Airport (VIA) has been temporarily utilized as a parallel taxiway from today onwards.
By temporarily using the new runway as a parallel taxiway, VIA's operations will improve significantly. Currently, only 8 aircraft can use the runway in an hour, but with the new parallel taxiway, 16 aircrafts can be accommodated in an hour and this figure is expected to increase during peak hours. As a result, the airborne holding for all incoming aircrafts will be greatly reduced.
Since the current runway is now being used as both the runway and the taxiway, clearing the runway can take up to ten minutes; however, when the new runway is utilized as a parallel taxiway, this time can be reduced to two minutes. This would also be very convenient for the passengers since the runway occupancy time would be reduced significantly resulting in faster arrival and departure process.
Even though the new runway is now being used as a parallel taxiway, it is soon expected to be used as VIA's primary runway by the Winter 2022 season. The new Code F runway is 3400 meters long and 60 meters wide and is designed to meet all International Aviation Standards.