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Rediff.com  » Business » Last-minute airfares rise 40% as rain disrupts Mumbai airport

Last-minute airfares rise 40% as rain disrupts Mumbai airport

By Aneesh Phadnis
July 04, 2019 17:38 IST
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On Tuesday 55 flights were diverted, over 200 flights were cancelled because of rain, low visibility and poor braking action on secondary runway.

Last minute airfares rose 35-40 per cent as rains and closure of main runway at Mumbai airport disrupted operations.

On Tuesday 55 flights were diverted and over 200 flights were cancelled from Mumbai because of rain, low visibility and poor braking action on secondary runway.

 

Airlines canceled nearly 80 flights on Wednesday which included both arrival and departures from Mumbai.

Flights continued to be delayed as the secondary runway at Mumbai has a lower aircraft handling capacity.

The disruption of operations has pushed up last minute airfares for flights from Mumbai, according to travel website ixigio.

"Heavy rainfall in Mumbai has impacted close to 400 flights in the last two days due to disruption in flight schedules.

"Cancellation of flights has also triggered a rise in last-minute average fares by 35-40 per cent on key routes to and from Mumbai.

"With disruptions expected to continue in the coming days, we have seen a 22 per cent increase in passengers rescheduling their Mumbai bound flights to next week," said  Aloke Bajpai, CEO & co-founder, ixigo.

A SpiceJet Boeing 737 operating a Jaipur-Mumbai flight overshot the main runway on landing on Monday night.

The main runway was shut for operations and measures have been initiated to remove the aircraft which has stuck in soft ground hundred metres outside the runway.

Air India engineers were working to remove the disabled aircraft.

"The plane was lifted with the help of inflated bags and placed on a trailer. Steel cables were tied to the main landing gear and the plane was slowly pulled out by a tractor from behind.

"The nose wheel of the plane was damaged and so steering the aircraft was a challenge," said an Air India executive.

Photograph: Kind courtesy, Trinidade/Wikimedia Commons 

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Aneesh Phadnis in Mumbai
Source: source
 

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