Mumbai:
The main runway at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has been shut till 8 pm after a Turkish Airways flight arriving from Istanbul veered off a rapid exit taxiway at around 4 am this morning. The aircraft is still stuck in mud.
All flights coming in and going out of Mumbai are now operating from the secondary runway. There is an approximate delay of 20-40 minutes in arrivals and departures. The incident also caused two flight diversions in the morning.
Flight TK-720 had 97 people on board; no casualties or injuries have been reported.
Mumbai International Airport Pvt. Ltd. said all emergency procedures were immediately activated and passengers were disembarked safely and taken to the terminal. The incident happened close to the main runway so it was closed as a precautionary measure.
Airport authorities maintain that the ground staff had carried out a thorough inspection before the landing so there was nothing wrong with the runway or the taxiway.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into the incident. "We have categorised this as a serious incident," DGCA Director General Bharat Bhushan told NDTV.
Operations were suspended at the airport briefly this morning - between 8.40 am and 8.52 am - due to low visibility. They have resumed now.
Diversions due to the incident:G9 0407, Sharjah-Mumbai, diverted to Ahmedabad at 0414 hrs. It later landed back at 0733 hrs
SQ 7955, Freighter, Chicago-Brussels-Mumbai diverted to Chennai at 0521 hrs.