Mumbai airport main runway shut till noon

IANS

Mumbai, 03 Spe 2011: Mumbai airport’s main runway will remain shut at least till noon on Saturday as the Turkish plane that skidded off the taxiway a day earlier remained stuck in mud, an official said.

 

Normal operations at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) were severely hampered for the past over 30 hours as hectic efforts continued to retrieve the aircraft that was stuck beside the main runway.

 

The main runway was shut down early Friday after the Turkish Airlines Airbus aircraft skidded after landing and got stuck in the soft mud following heavy rains. All 104 people on board, including 11 crew were safe.

 

Airport officials said continuous downpour in the city and its surroundings further hampered the retrieval operations launched Friday evening.

 

"The rain is adding to the slush and soft mud, making it difficult to position heavy cranes or trucks to retrieve the aircraft," an official said.

 

Besides half a dozen diversions and three international flight cancellations till midnight Friday, regular operations continued to suffer with around 15 minutes delay on the arrivals, and up to 30 minutes on departures.