Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Flight operations resumed at Pune airport after the repair work was completed on “war footing” following an incident involving Indian Air Force aircraft.In a social media post on X, Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said that runway repair work at Pune airport had been completed and the air traffic is expected to return back to normal gradually.“The runway at Pune Airport was temporarily unavailable following an incident involving an IAF aircraft. Runway repair work has since been completed on a war footing, with safety maintained as the top priority throughout,” Mahol said.“Departure operations will resume from 07:30 AM, and arrival operations will commence from 08:00 AM. Air traffic in Pune is expected to gradually return to normal over the course of the day,” he added.Airlines issue advisoryAccording to airport director, 31 arrivals, 34 departures of Indigo, 3 arrivals, 3 departures of Air India, 3 departure of SpiceJet, 2 arrivals, 3 departures of Akasa Air and 5 arrivals and 5 departures of Air India were cancelled.IndiGo issued an advisory and requesting passengers to check flight status before heading to the airport.“We understand the inconvenience caused due to the continued unavailability of the runway at Pune airport and truly regret the impact this may have on your travel plans. This situation is beyond our control, and we are working closely with the relevant authorities to manage the impact,” the airline said in a a social media post.We are proactively notifying customers on their registered contact details with updates on their bookings. We also recommend checking your flight status before heading to the airport. If your flight is impacted, you may choose an alternate flight or opt for a full refund through Plan B,” it added.Defence sources said the incident involved a Sukhoi 30 MKi aircraft, but the IAF did not confirm the type of the aircraft.Pune airport director Santosh Dhoke said, “A fighter aircraft experienced an undercarriage failure after it had a hard landing around 10.25pm, resulting in blockage of the runway.”“It is currently positioned in the middle of the runway. Efforts are underway to move it to the taxiway. According to the IAF ATC, it will take 4-5 hours to clear the runway as cranes and heavy machinery have been deployed,” he added.
