Bengaluru: The Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) here is gearing up for a major disruption in its operations from February 8 to April 30. The runway will be closed partially first for the Aero India rehearsals and show days, and later for its upgrade work. These closures will trigger massive changes in flight schedules.

The airshow is scheduled to be held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station from February 12 to 18. Since the Air Base is too close to the Devanahalli-based KIA, all flight operations will be cancelled during show rehearsals from February 8 to 11. The runway will again be closed partially during the show days.

Airlines with scheduled aircraft operations that will be impacted during this period have received communication on the reduced operating hours, the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) said in an official release. “Passenger convenience will be ensured with the respective airlines sharing timely communication on the change in airport operations and the cancelled/revised flight timings during the length of the 2017 Aero India show,” it said.

A day after the airshow, the runway will again be closed partially for a planned upgrade work, to be carried out in a phased manner. This closure will be effective from February 19 to April 30, 10.30 am to 5 pm. BIAL said the upgrade will also involve partial closure of facilities without any impact on airport operations.

The upgrade has been designed to support the growing air traffic at the Bengaluru airport. “The runway closure has been planned and aligned to commence along with Aero India 2017. BIAL has taken proactive efforts to ensure that any discomfort caused as a result of this closure remains minimal.”

To avoid last-minute flight cancellations, BIAL said all airlines were informed before the schedule was finalised for the season. “In close coordination with the Air Traffic Control, all efforts are also in place to enhance the flight handling capacity in the hours preceding and following the closure each day during this period. This will allow the airlines optimum usage of the available time,” the airport operator said.

Ancillary support by airport taxi and bus service providers will be aligned to accommodate the increase in anticipated traffic on main airport road for passengers flying out of the airport during the partial closure period.

All changes to flight schedule will be made available on the website www.bengaluruairport.com, on the Twitter handle @BLRAirport and the BLR Airport App for passenger reference. BIAL clarified that no advisory was issued on passengers’ reporting time at the airport. A recent WhatsApp message had wrongly claimed that passengers had to report four hours in advance during the runway closure period.