Multiple flights diverted as heavy rain disrupts Mumbai airport operations

Five incoming flights to Mumbai airport were diverted to other cities till 3.30 pm on Monday as heavy rain and poor weather conditions continued to disrupt air traffic in the financial capital, officials said.

According to Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), IndiGo flights 6E 595 from Raipur and 6E 1340 from Singapore were diverted to Hyderabad, while Akasa Air flight QP 1110 from Delhi was diverted to Ahmedabad.

Air India's AI 2772 from Kolkata was diverted to Bengaluru, while Oman Air flight WY 203 from Muscat was rerouted to Vadodara, the airport operator said.

Mumbai and adjoining areas have been witnessing very heavy rainfall over the past few days, disrupting normal life and transport services.

IndiGo, in a post on X, said flights to and from Mumbai and Pune were being impacted due to heavy rain and advised passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport and keep extra travel time because of slow-moving road traffic.

The latest diversions come a day after adverse weather severely affected operations at Mumbai airport.

On Sunday, four IndiGo flights were cancelled and 13 arriving flights operated by various airlines were diverted after heavy rain and gusty winds forced airport authorities to suspend runway operations for about an hour.

The diverted aircraft later returned to Mumbai after weather conditions improved, reported PTI.

Airport operator MIAL had said runway operations were temporarily suspended from around 10.17 am on Sunday after strong winds of up to 42 knots and reduced visibility due to heavy rain affected flight operations. Normal operations resumed after about an hour.

Heavy rain continued to batter Mumbai and neighbouring areas on Monday, crippling road and rail traffic and triggering landslides in parts of Maharashtra.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai, Thane and Raigad districts, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds.

The State Disaster Management Authority advised private offices in Mumbai to allow employees to work from home and announced a half-day for non-essential government and semi-government offices.

Local train services between Karjat and Khopoli were suspended after heavy rain washed away the ballast beneath tracks.

Heavy rain and waterlogging also disrupted Western Railway operations, affecting more than 40 train services. At least eight trains were rescheduled, 10 cancelled and several others diverted or short-terminated, officials said.