New Delhi, May 14 -- The government has commenced preparations for the closure of one of the four runways at Delhi Airport in mid-June and has directed airlines to plan for flight cancellations, according to officials who cited a discussion between Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and airline representatives on Tuesday.

Runway 28/10 at Indira Gandhi International Airport is set to close for the upgrade of its landing instruments. The initial attempt to close the runway in April was abandoned after just four weeks, as flight schedules descended into disarray. The airport was unable to accommodate its usual daily traffic of approximately 1,400 flights using only three of its runways.

A second attempt will begin on 15th June, lastin...