Fliers stuck for 3 hrs at airport

Mumbai: Bidisha Basu missed her semester examination of her nursing course on Tuesday because her GoAir flight to Chandigarh was stuck at the Mumbai airport for nearly three hours.
Several flights such as Basu’s were held up at Mumbai because the airport’s main runway was shut from 6 am to 11.30 am for pre-monsoon inspection.
“I was sitting in the aircraft for more than an hour. I have applied for a re-examination,” said Basu, 31, who is pursuing a course in nursing from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research i n Chandigarh.
Peak hour traffic had to jostle for space because only the secondary runway was available for use.
A Mumbai International Airport Limited spokesperson said morning flights were running at least 30 minutes behind schedule.
“We have issued a Notam (notice to airmen) about the closure. Airlines and the air traffic controllers were aware of the closure,” said the spokesperson.
The airport staff identified areas of the runway that need repairs and tested other crucial tarmac infrastructure such as runway light circuits during the runway closure.
09/06/10 Soubhik Mitra/Hindustan Times

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Categories: Airports Jun 2010