Trains, flights run behind schedule due to downpour

Panaji/Margao: Passengers had a harrowing time as both trains and flights were canceled or diverted because of bad weather conditions in the state and neighboring Karnataka. Many flights, which took off from Mumbai airport, had to take a U-turn and return as the runway got flooded and the airport was declared shut.
Several passengers were stranded at the Dabolim airport for over five hours as 28 flights were affected due to the Navy declaring the runway unfit for use because of flooding.
Officials said that the airport was closed from 1pm to 6pm, though the Navy declared the runway unfit for use only by 4 pm. In the morning, five flights arrived in Goa. However, the problem started after 1pm.
While 13 flights were expected to arrive in Goa, they had to be either canceled or diverted due to the bad weather. Most of the flights were from Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore and Delhi. About four incoming Kingfisher flights, two Spicejet, three Jet Airways, one Jetlite, two Indigo, one Indian airlines and one Go Air were affected.
While domestic flights and passengers suffered, major relief came after one international flight landed at Dabolim airport at 5:30 pm coming from Kuwait via Chennai. The second international flight from Dubai via Bombay was diverted to Bombay airport.
03/10/09 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Oct 2009