8 flights diverted and 213 delayed as strong winds disrupt Mumbai Airport

Mumbai: Strong winds disrupted flight operations at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Tuesday evening, forcing eight flights carrying 1,255 passengers to divert to Surat, while 213 flights were delayed and 16 were cancelled.

Flight operations at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were significantly affected on Tuesday evening as strong winds disrupted arrivals and departures. Eight flights were diverted to Surat Airport, with all the affected aircraft landing safely. The diverted flights were carrying a combined 1,255 passengers.

Among the diverted flights was IndiGo flight 6E-2017 operating from Tiruchirappalli to Mumbai. It landed at Surat at around 6:50 pm with 182 passengers. IndiGo flight 6E-864 from Delhi arrived at Surat at approximately 6:54 pm with 122 passengers.

Air India flight AI-2941, operating from Delhi, landed at Surat around 7:02 pm with 186 passengers onboard. IndiGo flight 6E-5104 from Chennai to Mumbai arrived at about 7:34 pm carrying 179 passengers.

Air India flight AI-2746 from Goa reached Surat around 7:38 pm with 135 passengers. IndiGo flight 6E-5255 from Bengaluru to Mumbai landed at approximately 7:47 pm with 135 passengers.

Two more flights were diverted later in the evening. Air India flight AI-640 from Chennai arrived at Surat at around 7:50 pm with 112 passengers, while IndiGo flight 6E-5312 from Bhopal landed at about 8 pm carrying 204 passengers.

The disruption extended beyond the eight diverted flights. According to Flightradar24 data cited in the report, Mumbai Airport had recorded 16 cancellations and 213 delays by 10:04 pm, making it the second most disrupted airport at that time. The average delay was around 40 minutes.

The disruption highlights how strong winds can affect airport operations, particularly flight arrivals and departures, even when aircraft are able to land safely at alternate airports. Passengers travelling through Mumbai should therefore check the latest status of their flights with the airline before heading to the airport.

The immediate impact of the weather disruption was the diversion of eight flights from Mumbai to Surat. Diversion allows aircraft to land at an alternate airport when operating conditions at the scheduled destination become unsuitable or difficult.

The wider effect was reflected in the number of delayed and cancelled flights. With 213 delays and 16 cancellations recorded by 10:04 pm, the disruption affected a much larger number of passengers than those on the eight diverted aircraft.

The incident also affected flights arriving from several major Indian cities, including Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Bengaluru, Tiruchirappalli and Bhopal. This means disruptions at Mumbai can have a knock-on effect on aircraft rotations and subsequent departures from the airport.