Fifty-six flights including six international ones have been diverted from Mumbai airport as its main runway remains closed for operations because of heavy rain, reports said on Wednesday. Flights have been diverted to other airports such as Goa, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, the Hindustan Times reported. At least 13 Mumbai-Delhi flights were delayed earlier in the day, and 15 were cancelled, ANI reported.
Flights are now using the secondary runway in Mumbai for arrivals and departures after a SpiceJet aircraft had skidded off the main runway on Tuesday night, authorities said. A notice issued to airmen said the main runway could remain closed till 2 pm on Wednesday.
The airport is facing bad tail winds and fluctuating weather, which is causing flight delays, said a tweet on the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport’s official handle.
On Tuesday night, the SpiceJet plane from Varanasi with 183 people on board had overshot the rain-soaked runway and skidded off while landing at the Mumbai airport. All passengers were evacuated safely from the Boeing 737 aircraft, the airline said.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department has removed the warning for heavy rainfall, and said the situation may improve now, ANI reported.
Between 8.30 am on Tuesday and the same time on Wednesday, the city recorded 210 mm rainfall, the suburbs 303 mm and the nearby Dahanu town 304 mm, said Deputy Director General of the India Meteorological Department KS Hosalikar.
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