Guwahati: A Boeing 737-800 aircraft of budget carrier SpiceJet flying from Jaipur to Mumbai skidded of the runway while landing at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Maharashtra late on Monday night.
As per sources from the airport authorities, the SpiceJet aircraft (VT-SYK) could not come to a halt while landing on the main runway number 27 amid heavy rainfall and skidded off by 100 to 120 metres around 11.51 pm. “All 167 passengers including the crew members on board the aircraft are safe,” the sources added.
Following the incident, airport officials immediately suspended airline services and rescheduled all the flights to land and take off from the airport. A total of 52 domestic and international flights have been cancelled while 55 others were delayed at the international airport. Thousands of passengers who had checked in for early morning and midnight flights were stranded at the international airport after the flight services were disrupted.
Meanwhile, domestic airlines posted on social media warning people of cancellation and delay in flights. Air Vistara confirmed the cancellation of 10 flights in and out of Mumbai, including flights to Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.
#Update3 pic.twitter.com/z6KYULWSXl
— Vistara (@airvistara) July 2, 2019
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SpiceJet and Indigo also tweeted, warning passengers that rains in Mumbai could affect departures and arrivals. Both airlines have asked passengers to check for delays and cancellations of flights before leaving for the airport.
#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: Due to heavy rains, we’re offering change/cancellation fee waiver to passengers travelling to/fro #Mumbai till July 3, 2019. You may visit Plan B https://t.co/O73ExNIz7i to opt for alternate options or refund. Stay safe and keep a tab on your flight status.
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) July 2, 2019
Meanwhile, Mumbai airport authorities have made operational a secondary runway for flights and a 150-metre ramp is being prepared to help move the plane off the main runway. However, it has been informed that it will take almost 48 hours to make flight services operational at the main runway of the airport.
Several international flights were affected due to the suspension of movement in the main runway of the airport as the secondary runway is not wide enough to accommodate wide-body airplanes, said reports.