A SpiceJet aircraft overshot the runway after the rains in Mumbai
A SpiceJet flight carrying 183 passengers
skidded off the wet runway and landed in a marshy and dark area beyond it at Mumbai airport late on Tuesday evening. No one was hurt and all the passengers are safe.
An airport official said the passengers abroad flight SG-703 from Varanasi were safely evacuated using the emergency chute of the Boeing 737 aircraft. Operations at the
Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport, however, had to be suspended as work to extricate the aircraft was in progress.
A notice to airmen issued by the airport authority has indicated this runway would be closed till 10.30 am on Wednesday forcing airlines to divert or cancel several flights, news agency Press Trust of India said, quoting sources.
The incident took place around 10 pm at the main runway of the airport.
The
airline linked the incident to the Mumbai rains that had earlier in the evening disrupted flight operations for nearly half-an-hour due to reduced visibility.
"During landing, the aircraft overshot the runway and skidded off into the unpaved surface due to wet conditions caused by heavy rains. All passengers deplaned safely and were taken to the arrival hall," a statement from SpiceJet later said.
Around 20 flights were affected with seven of them being diverted to Hyderabad, Vadodara and Ahmedabad airports and the rest forced to 'go-around' (abort landing on final approach) when the only runway was closed in the evening, airport sources said, according to news agency Press Trust of India.
The airport handles around 930 arrivals and departures a day, with 42 movements per hour on an average.