Heavens open up, high-flyers grounded

MUMBAI: Air-Travellers bore the brunt of the monsoon in Mumbai, as much as people travelling by road, as flights were delayed all of Tuesday. Poor visibility because of the huge downpour initially delayed incoming flights by about 15-20 minutes in the morning, which peaked in the afternoon when the runway was shut temporarily.

Most domestic flights were delayed and some had to be diverted back to their point of origin, AAI sources said. Several airlines cancelled or combined their flights into and from the city.

The problems at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji domestic airport were made worse by the lack of space in the terminals. With most flights out of sync, passengers were seen lounging on the floor particularly in terminal 1B, where the private airlines operate.

Flights were also delayed in the evening because most had left Mumbai late. “Delayed departures had a cascade effect leading to delayed arrivals in the evening,” a source from the national carrier Indian said. An Indian Bangalore-Mumbai morning flight had to go back to Bangalore. The flight was combined with the evening incoming flight to Mumbai. Air-Deccan cancelled about 15 flights to and from the city.

Mumbai airport is fitted with a category-2 instrument landing system (ILS) that allows an aircraft to land even when visibility is down to 300 meters. However, this is of little practical use because most pilots are not licensed to fly below the 550 metre visibility minima. According to a Jet Airways pilot, most aircraft going to Mumbai were taking off with extra fuel to take care of the extended wait before landing.

Several pilots also had a problem reaching the airport as the area was flooded and the airline had asked them to make their own transport arrangements, he said.

The situation on aircraft delays is likely to continue until the weather improves, airport sources said. Passengers are advised to call the airline for latest departure information. International airlines, who have most flights at night, have geared up for delays due to poor weather.

There was low attendance among the airport and airline traffic staff and the few who made it had to handle hassled passengers for over two and three shifts, the sources said.