Mohali, Oct. 25 -- In a relief to passengers, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to observe only a partial closure of the Chandigarh International Airport for runway repairs, allowing flight operations for limited hours. As per the revised NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued on Friday, between October 26 and November 6, flights will operate between 5 am and 12 noon while the airport will remain shut from noon to 5 am the following day. The second phase of closure will be from November 7 to November 18, during which flights will operate between 5 am and 11 pm and remain suspended from 11 pm to 5 am. The decision to relax the closure was taken in a meeting held in Delhi on Friday between the officers of the civil aviation and Airforce. The IAF had earlier decided to suspend all civilian flights to and from the airport on these dates. During the first phase (October 26-November 6), flights to and from Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Patna, Jaipur, Bengaluru, and Srinagar will be operational but the two international flights - to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirate s- will remain grounded. The revised NOTAM, issued by the IAF, mentions that the closure is necessary for polymer modified emulsion (PME) work on the runway. During this period, only rotary-wing aircraft (helicopters) will be allowed to operate, subject to prior clearance. Confirming the development, Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) CEO Ajay Kumar said, "A revised NOTAM has been issued for partial runway closure for repair work from October 26 to November 18. A fresh NOTAM will be released later for the full resumption of flight operations. As far as the timings of the flights are concerned, airlines will issue fresh timings soon." Airport sources added that during the closure period, installation of an advanced Korean-made CAT-ILS-I (Instrument Landing System) will also be undertaken. The new system is expected to significantly enhance flight operations during low-visibility and foggy conditions inwinter. This is not the first time that the airport has faced temporary shutdowns. Earlier this May, during the armed conflict between India and Pakistan, flight operations from the Chandigarh airport were suspended for a few days amid intel that the neighbouring country was trying to hit military installations in the region. Handling over 10,000 passengers daily, the Chandigarh International Airport serves as a crucial aviation hub for the Tricity region (Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula). It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi onSeptember 11, 2015....