IAF plane overruns runway at Mumbai airport; major tragedy averted

A major accident was averted at the Mumbai airport after an Indian Air Force (IAF) AN-32 plane overran a runway late night on Tuesday. An IAF team has reached the airport to clear the runway and fix a technical glitch which has prevented the plane from taking off. The plane was stuck till Wednesday morning. No injuries have been reported.

Thankfully, the aircraft came to a halt before it could hit the boundary of the Mumbai airport next to which lies the Western Express highway. The incident hampered airport operations and over 50 flights were affected. The average departure delay was reported to be 28 minutes.

An official statement confirmed that an Air Force plane had had a "runway excursion" at 11.39 pm on Tuesday. The AN-32 aircraft was supposed to fly to the Yelahanaka Air Force station in Bengaluru.

A Defence Ministry spokesperson said the plane and the crew members were safe, India Today reported. "A recovery team has arrived [in] Mumbai and the aircraft will be cleared shortly", the report added.

As per reports, the main runway, 09/27, is now shut (it is expected to be closed till 12 pm), however, 14/32 is operational.

(Edited by: Nehal Solanki)

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