Full operations at Mumbai airport unlikely to resume Thursday

Mumbai: Operations from the main runway of the city airport, which has been shut since Monday night due to the skidding of a SpiceJet aircraft and the subsequent blocking of a part of the runway, is unlikely to resume Thursday, a source said.

In the last two days, around 280 flights have been cancelled from the airport as a result of the incident.

Since the stranded aircraft has not been removed completely, the MIAL has obtained NOTAM (notice to Airmen) for runway 09/27 (main runway) till Thursday midnight, the source said.

The NOTAM is given to pilots and includes information on potential hazards on a flight route.

The partial operations at the Mumbai airport has resulted in massive flight cancellations and delays. Flights are currently being operated by the less-capacity secondary runway.

“The NOTAM period for the main runway has been extended to midnight Thursday,” the source said.

A SpiceJet flight from Jaipur carrying 167 passengers and the crew overshot the runway on July 1 after landing amid heavy rains, leaving the plane stuck partially between the main runway (09×27) and the grass area.

The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) the private aerodrome operator, had said on July 1 that the full operations was expected to be resumed by Thursday.