AI Boeing skids on Mumbai runway, airport closed
An Air India Boeing 747-400 from Bangalore skidded and overshot the runway in Mumbai and got bogged in the softground at the end of the track on Saturday morning.
There were 335 passengers onboard the flight that was later scheduled to go to Chicago via Frankfurt.
According to reports, all passengers onboard are safe.
The secondary runway, which was opened to traffic two days ago after disruptions because of heavy rains, was again forced to be closed.
The main runway is still not available as the landing and navigational aids are unserviceable.
Passengers are being deplanned and brought to the terminal building while efforts are on to extricate the aircraft.
According to Airport officials, the nose-wheel went into the slushy mud, and airbags would be used to lift the undercarriage and pull it back on the runway.
The incident happened at around 7 am when it was raining heavily. All incoming flights to Mumbai have been diverted, the sources said.
The out-bound flights have also been held up though the Airports Authority of India is planning to allow flights to take off from the main runway, the sources added.
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July 30, 2005 at 6:08 am