Mumbai rains: Flight operations remain affected

BY : News Gateway /  Rain / Mumbai

Flight operations remained affected for another day in Mumbai as the city struggled to stand on its feet on Wednesday following incessant rains a day before. All Air India flights from the city were delayed since morning owing to rains and crew constraints. Many of its staff members could not report to work owing to water-logging on city roads. Most flights were delayed by around half an hour. Two flights,  Muscat AI 985 and AI 342 Singapore, which were cancelled on Tuesday took off on Wednesday, at 11.30 am and 2.30 pm, respectively.

Jet Airways released a statement saying that inclement weather in Mumbai and the suspension of flights between 4.15 and 5 pm have affected the airline’s operations. It said the airline’s flights were delayed by up to 30-40 minutes. Two of the airline’s flights which were diverted to Ahmedabad were being recovered, according to the statement.

“To minimise the impact on the network and hasten recovery, the airline has had to cancel a few scheduled flights of August 29 and August 30, 2017,” the statement said. Jet Airways has cancelled nine domestic flights and three international flights scheduled for Wednesday.

Jet Airways, Vistara and IndiGo have also offered to cancel or reschedule August 30 flights without any penalty or cancellation fee.

Mumbai experienced continuous torrential rains on Tuesday, leading to massive water-logging in many areas. Vehicular traffic and trains came to a standstill as roads and rail tracks were inundated. Flight operations were severely hit. Thirteen go-arounds and seven diversions of flights were reported by Tuesday evening due to heavy rain and poor visibility. Ten flights were cancelled. Many passengers were stuck at the airport due to lack of local transportation.

Even the corridors of hospitals were flooded, leading to an increased risk of infection. Schools remained closed on Wednesday.