Panaji, April 12 (IANS) Maintenance work being carried out by naval authorities has forced Goa's Dabolim international airport to cut down its runway length for five hours a day, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said Tuesday.

Dabolim airport director D. Paul Manickam said the shortened runway also meant that navigational gear was rendered unoperational for aircrafts landing at the airport during the period.

"The Indian Navy has taken up some maintenance work. Therefore, between 8.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. in the morning and in the evenings from 3 p.m. to 5.30 p.m., the full length of the airport is not available," Manickam told IANS.

"Because of the shortened runway, the navigational gear cannot be used. Except for these timings, the landings are normal for the rest of the day and night," he said, adding that most flights had adjusted to the new temporary timings.

Media reports Tuesday have said that six airlines, including Air India, had flouted norms by carrying out "blind landings" at the Goa airport because of lack of navigational aid.

Navy authorities have said the Dabolim airport, which is a military establishment, has only one runway and hence "arrangements have been made to interweave maintenance work with daily operations".

The pre-monsoon maintenance work will be completed by April 27, a navy spokesperson said.