LUCKNOW, July 16 -- The Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) in Lucknow will operate its runway for 20 hours daily starting Wednesday (July 16), as the closure window for ongoing resurfacing work has been reduced from five hours to four -- from 11am to 3pm, officials aware of the development said. The revised schedule is expected to ease congestion and improve passenger convenience, they added. The improved operational hours have led to airline expansion plans, with seven additional flights being introduced, mainly to Delhi and Mumbai. IndiGo will operate five of these, reaffirming growing airline confidence in Lucknow as a regional aviation hub, officials said. Significantly, there is renewed optimism about the revival of the Lucknow-Nagpur route, which was suspended in the past due to operational constraints. Recent feasibility surveys suggest that carriers are now re-evaluating its viability in light of improved infrastructure and longer daily operating hours. The extended runway window follows months of phased maintenance work that began on March 1. Initially, flight operations were halted from 10am to 6pm and then from 11am to 4pm. However, it was only after chief minister Yogi Adityanath's intervention that the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) instructed further reductions in the closure period. Although resurfacing work will continue until August 15, the new schedule strikes a balance between ongoing infrastructure upgrades and uninterrupted service, officials said. "The reduction in closure hours comes at a critical time," said an airport official. "With passenger volume up, airlines were struggling to operate efficiently under the restricted hours. This change will ease congestion and allow for more flexible scheduling."...