The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai said it has “undertaken all precautionary measures as per the standard protocols, as a part of its monsoon contingency plan”. “CSMIA is closely monitoring the situation and is prepared to activate all necessary measures to mitigate any potential operational impact in case of inclement weather conditions to facilitate safe operations”, the airport authorities said in a statement.
The airport authorities also said that they have “successfully completed” the recarpeting of the secondary runway 14/32 as per schedule. “With both runways now fully operational before monsoons sets in, the flexibility has ensured no disruption to flight movements in case of cross winds, thus solidifying our commitment to airside operational safety and efficient flight operations”, the statement said.
The statement from the airport authorities came a day after Cyclone Biparjoy disrupted flight operations in Mumbai yesterday. Flights were either cancelled, delayed or diverted due to the bad weather conditions at the airport on Sunday.
Mentioning that some of its flights will be cancelled Air India tweeted, “Inclement weather conditions and the temporary closure of Runway 09/27 at the Mumbai airport, in addition to other consequential factors beyond our control have resulted in delays and cancellation of some of our flights. We regret the inconvenience caused to our guests, as we make all effort to minimise the disruptionsm”.
Mentioning that the situation was “extremely uncontrollable”, IndiGo tweeted, “The agony as flight delays are equally troublesome for us. It is only under extremely uncontrollable situations we’re compelled to make such changes in the schedule. We look forward to your kind understanding”.
Cyclone Biparjoy on Monday intensified into a very severe cyclonic storm over the east-central Arabian Sea, raising concerns for the coastal communities along Gujarat. The storm is expected to make landfall on the Kutch coast on June 15, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).