Heavy rains delay flights at Mumbai airport

Mumbai airport spokesperson confirmed the delays but said that no flights were diverted or cancelled. Airport records showed that arrivals and departures were running late by up to 25 minutes.

Heavy showers and routine congestion slowed flight movement at the Mumbai airport on Saturday.

Heavy showers and routine congestion slowed flight movement at the Mumbai airport on Saturday. (HT Photo)

An airport spokesperson confirmed the delays but said no flights were diverted or cancelled. Airport records showed that arrivals and departures were running late by up to 25 minutes.

Runway visibility was above 800 metres - within range for safe operations - officials manning air traffic said that small bouts of heavy spells triggered the delay.

“Sometimes pilots are unable to see the runway for a few seconds when it’s pouring. Such instances disrupt the traffic flow pattern causing a cascading effect on the schedule,” a senior air traffic control (ATC) officer said.

India Meteorological Department’s Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai predicted intermittent rain with heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few place in the city and its suburbs for the next 24 to 48 hours.

Some airlines warned fliers about the delays and asked them to enquire about flight status.

Jet Airways tweeted that there was a delay of up to 30 minutes on its flights in and out of Mumbai. Budget carrier SpiceJet asked its passengers to check flight status before leaving for the airport.