At least 55 flights, including 8 international flights and 42 domestic flights, were diverted from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA) in Mumbai after the city witnessed record downpour over the past four days. The airport’s main runway was shut down after an aircraft overshot the runway during landing on Monday night. Flights to and from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were delayed by 35 minutes owing to heavy rain and low visibility said an official.
On Tuesday, there were 13 go-arounds, and cancellations of 18 incoming flights, including four international and 24 departures including four international, said a spokesperson for Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL). CSIA on Tuesday tweeted that the main runway at the airport is not available and the secondary runway has been put in use.
Due to runway excursion by the arriving aircraft,main runway is not available & secondary runway is put in use. Please expect delays in flight operations. Please check with your airline before reaching the airport. @pranaamgvk
— CSIA (@CSIAMumbai) July 2, 2019
Due to heavy rains in Mumbai on Monday, a SpiceJet flight travelling from Jaipur to Mumbai skidded on the main runway during landing at around 11:51 pm. All passengers deboarded the plane safely and the aircraft remains stuck in the runway.
Operations at the Mumbai airport were affected after the incident came to light. 26 international flights and 29 domestic flights were diverted following the incident.
"SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated flight SG 6237 from Jaipur to Mumbai. There was heavy rain in Mumbai and the aircraft, after landing, overshot the runway. Passengers were deplaned normally. There was no injury to either the passengers or the crew," SpiceJet confirmed in a statement.
Domestic airline carriers took to social media to inform passengers about delays and cancellations of flight.
#Update1 pic.twitter.com/jsdmVZ6lVn
— Vistara (@airvistara) July 2, 2019
#GoAlert pic.twitter.com/GFNbtFV79N
— GoAir (@goairlinesindia) July 2, 2019
#WeatherUpdate: Due to bad weather at Mumbai (BOM), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. The passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status via https://t.co/DaY8nCBre4.
— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) July 1, 2019
#6ETravelAdvisory: To check flight status, please visit https://t.co/Mj1tYZIvoE or send an SMS ST <flight no.><flight date> as DDMM, e.g. for flight 6E-333 for July 02, send ST 333 0207 to 566772. pic.twitter.com/KkzcTmbf32
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) July 1, 2019
Flights diverted to Bengaluru
12 flights going to and coming from Mumbai were diverted to Bengaluru airport.
Officials at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru stated that the unscheduled arrivals of flights from Mumbai did not impact operations at the airport. "The unscheduled arrivals did not impact operations at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru (KIAB). Scheduled departures to Mumbai experienced minor delays with no disruption for arriving flights. As the weather in Mumbai improved, flights were cleared for take-off,” a spokesperson at KIAB said.
Chennai-Mumbai flights affected
Several flights in Chennai have also been affected due to the rains in Mumbai. Passengers have been lodged in hotels till the flights are given the go-ahead to travel. A director of the Chennai Airport told TNM, "Six arrivals and departures to Mumbai have been cancelled. This covers all airlines. No flight will leave to or come from Mumbai till 3 pm. This is because of the weather and also because the Mumbai airport is using the secondary runway. This will lead to a lot of operational difficulties.”
Passengers who arrived for their morning flights were turned away as airlines, including Cathay Pacific and IndiGo, delayed their departures.
13 flights affected in Hyd
Officials told TNM that around 13 flights are believed to have been diverted at Hyderabad airport. Two flights that were bound for Nagpur have also been diverted to Hyderabad. There were delays at the airport which began at 4 am and the passengers were given refreshments. Services are resuming now, the officials added.