Flights from UAE to Mumbai indefinitely delayed

Dubai: Flights from UAE to Mumbai have been indefinitely delayed due to the main runway closure at the airport after a domestic flight overshot its mark while landing due to heavy rains.

The main runway at Mumbai airport remained closed since Monday evening after a Spice Jet flight from Jaipur overshot its mark while landing amid heavy rainfall at around 11.45 pm (IST).

Around 54 flights have so far been diverted from Mumbai airport  to other airports.

A quick check on Dubai Airports’ flight schedule from Dubai to Mumbai revealed a Spice Jet Flight SG014 delayed by more than 10 hours. An Air India flight to Mumbai with a scheduled departure at around 02.50 am has also been indefinitely delayed. An Emirates flight departure also has been pushed from 9.30 am to 10.50 am.

Mumbai-bound Emirates flight forced to return home

An Emirates spokesperson confirmed to Gulf News a Mumbai bound flight was forced to return to Dubai after departure. An email statement from the airline read : “On 1 July, Emirates flight EK500 from Dubai to Mumbai returned to Dubai after departure, due to the A380-compatible runway being disabled at Mumbai International Airport. Affected passengers were accommodated on a replacement Boeing 777 aircraft, or have been rebooked on a later flight. Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused,” the email statement from the airline read.

Air India Express flight to Mumbai diverted to Ahmedabad

Meanwhile an Air India Express flight to Mumbai was diverted to Ahmedabad early this morning owing to the former airport's main runway closure. A Mumbai- bound passenger from Dubai on IX248 thanked the flight's pilot for saving lives by diverting the plane to Ahmedabad. She even posted a happy picture of the pilots eight hours ago. However, six hours on, she expressed disappointment that the airline did not have any arrangements made for the 200 odd passengers stranded at Ahmedabad airport.

Dubai-bound Air India flight delayed, passengers stranded

At least 100 Dubai-bound passengers are believed to be stranded in Mumbai due to indefinite flight delays. An Air India flight AI911 scheduled for departure at 11.30 am on Monday was delayed. A Dubai-bound passenger on the flight took to twitter to express his concerns over the flight delay. In a tweet to @PMOIndia, @mehulshah2906 said: "we are almost More than 100 passengers traveling from Mumbai to dubai via air India flight AI911. The flight was scheduled at 11.30 on Monday. However due to rains we were just left in the aircraft until 6.30 am and then no air India staff is providing any proper info."

Flight delay concerns

Meanwhile the twitter world went abuzz with concerns over flight delays. One tweep @arpitjain192 took to twitter to express his concern about a friend on a Mumbai-bound flight.

Mumbai weather alert

At least 15 people were killed in Mumbai early Tuesday when a wall collapsed as torrential monsoon downpours brought chaos to India's financial capital.

Another 69 were injured when the structure came down around 2am (2030 GMT Monday) in a slum settlement, Tanaji Kamble, a disaster management spokesman for Mumbai's local authority, told AFP.

The tragedy came as the teeming coastal settlement of 20 million residents was lashed by heavy rains for a second consecutive day, bringing the city to a virtual standstill.

Authorities declared Tuesday a public holiday and advised all residents to stay indoors. Schools and colleges were closed. 

According to Skymet Weather, a private weather tracking agency, large swathes of Mumbai received around 795 millimetres of rain overnight into Tuesday morning.

The deluge left low-lying parts submerged in water.

(With inputs from agencies)