&w=3840&q=100)
Air India A320neo skids off Mumbai runway; all passengers disembark safely
As the incident caused minor damage to the primary runway, the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL)—which manages and operates the airport—activated the secondary runway to ensure uninterrupted operations.
Industry sources said the aircraft operating flight AI2744 from Kochi encountered the runway excursion amid heavy rain in Mumbai.
Flight diverted to taxiway after brief off-runway movement
A spokesperson for MIAL, led by the Adani Group, confirmed the incident occurred at 09:27 hours. 'An incoming aircraft from Kochi experienced a runway excursion at CSMIA. The airport's emergency response teams were immediately activated to manage the situation. All passengers and crew are safe,' the spokesperson said.
'There are minor damages reported to the airport's primary runway – 09/27. In order to ensure continuity of operations, the secondary runway – 14/32 – has been activated. At CSMIA, safety always remains our highest priority,' the spokesperson added.
CSMIA activates backup amid peak operations
CSMIA is the busiest airport in India in terms of the number of flights handled on a single runway per hour. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the airport is handling approximately 3,004 flights per week this month. After IndiGo, Air India is the second-largest airline at CSMIA, operating 836 weekly services.
Incident follows deadly AI171 crash last month
Monday's incident follows just weeks after the June 12 crash of Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft (VT-ANB), which killed 241 of the 242 people on board.
The preliminary report released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on July 12 revealed that fuel supply to both engines was cut off shortly after take-off, causing a dual engine flameout. Though the fuel switches were turned back on approximately 10 seconds later, it was too late to restart the engines. The report stated that the role of technical faults had not been ruled out and did not assign blame.
Amid growing scrutiny, especially after recent international media coverage, AAIB Director General GVG Yugandhar on July 17 called such reports 'unfounded' and 'premature'.
He said some foreign publications were drawing conclusions through 'selective and unverified reporting' while the investigation was still ongoing. 'It is too early to reach any definite conclusions,' he said, noting that aviation medicine and psychology experts were also involved. The final report will be released once the investigation concludes.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Air India's Delhi-Pune flyers spend two hours in plane after taxiing
Pune: About 150 passengers of Air India's Delhi-Pune flight (AI-2982) spent about two hours sitting in the aircraft anxiously as it returned to the bay after taxiing on Friday afternoon because of a "technical problem". The flight was supposed to take off from Delhi at 1.05pm and reach Pune at 3.20pm. It finally departed from the national capital around 3pm and landed in the city at 4.42pm. Delhi's Anand Singh and his friend, Mohit Mahajan, came to Pune on the flight for a business meeting. Singh told TOI, "The boarding started at 12.05pm and we took our seats by 12.20pm. The aircraft, an Airbus A-320, started taxiing at 1pm and stopped behind two other aircraft for its turn to take off. A little later, the pilot announced that they might have to turn around and head back to the bay because of a technical problem. After some time, the aircraft indeed turned around and went to the bay." You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Mahajan said they expected some information from the pilot, but nothing came from the deck. "We had an important meeting in Pune, which we missed. Saturday being a weekend, we will have to wait till Monday for it now. We just kept sitting in the aircraft trying to get some inkling as to what was going on. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The announcement that there was a technical issue left many passengers worried," he said. TOI sent a detailed query about the incident to the Air India spokesperson. A reply was awaited till going to press. Singh said a cabin crew member told him that additional fuel was being taken just in case of any problems because of the bad weather in Pune. "We anticipated that we would be deboarded and taken to the terminal building, but nothing of that sort happened. We just kept sitting in the plane," he said. Mahajan said the airline should have anticipated this. "Even we knew that the weather in Pune was bad. The pilot, I am sure, knew it too. The additional fuel should have been taken earlier," he said.

New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Air India Express flight aborts takeoff from Delhi airport; second time this week
NEW DELHI: An Air India Express pilot abruptly halted the flight when it was about to take-off from the Delhi airport to Mumbai on Wednesday (July 23) night and returned to the parking bay. This marks the second time this week that a flight from the stable of the Air India Group aborted take-off at the last minute – an Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata had done it on Monday. Air India Express is a subsidiary of Air India. IX 1163, an Airbus A320 model, was scheduled to take off from Terminal 3 around 9:30 pm when the incident occurred. Passengers were deplaned and sent by an alternative flight three hours later. According to a passenger, 'The flight came to a sudden and hard stop before it returned to the bay. It looked like a major mishap had been averted. There was a lack of clear communication from the crew to the passengers, causing much anxiety,' he added. Video and pics shared online about the incident showed passengers worried inside the aircraft and later alighting from the plane. An official statement from Air India Express said, 'The crew of one of our flights from Delhi elected to reject take-off prioritising safety following a manor technical issue. Guests were de-boarded and accommodated in an alternative aircraft which was arranged on priority and has since departed.' The statement added, 'We regret the inconvenience while reiterating that safety remains paramount in all our operations.'


Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
Air India Jaipur-Mumbai flight makes U-turn 18 mins after take-off: What went wrong
An Air India flight from Jaipur to Mumbai made an emergency return shortly after takeoff on Friday. Flight AI612 returned to Jaipur International Airport due to a 'suspected technical issue', officials confirmed. The aircraft was airborne for about 18 minutes before returning to Jaipur. "Flight AI612 operating from Jaipur to Mumbai returned to Jaipur shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical issue,' Air India said in a statement. Airline officials confirmed that the decision to return was made as a precautionary measure to ensure passenger safety. Air India further emphasised that passenger safety is the airline's top priority. This swift action aligns with standard aviation safety protocols when potential issues are detected, PTI reported. Upon landing, the aircraft was thoroughly checked for any potential issues. Air India further revealed that 'troubleshooting checks were carried out, and it was determined to be a false indication'. Following the thorough inspection, the aircraft was cleared for operations. Once the protocols were fulfilled, the flight departed from Jaipur and continued its journey to Mumbai, the news agency reported. This comes just two days after a Doha-bound Air India Express flight was forced to return to Calicut International Airport on Wednesday morning, approximately two hours after its departure, owing to a technical fault in the aircraft's cabin AC. According to official data, a total of five Indian airlines reported 183 technical defects in their aircraft to the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) this year until July 21. Air India and Air India Express together have reported 85 technical defects, respectively, the data shows.