As many as 472 flights were delayed till 10.45pm at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Monday, according to flightradar24, an internet-based service. The airport was also briefly shut for operations owing to low visibility during the downpour and 11 flights were cancelled, said officials of Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL).
A spokesperson for MIAL said, “The airport had to be shut for operations from 9.12am to 9.31am, after which the operations resumed. However, the rain led to average delays of 31 minutes.”
However, senior officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said airport operations were not suspended in the morning and that pilots chose to not land owing to visibility reducing to 500m. Visibility below 800m is considered unsafe for flight operations.
