Turkish Airlines' flight TK-720, skidded off the runway after landing at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport on Friday morning. The airline said the reason for the skid was excessive rainfall.

The Airbus A340 aircraft was carrying 93 passengers including 11 crew members. The passengers and crew were immediately evacuated without any injuries.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a probe into the matter. According to airport officials, the plane skidded off the rapid exit taxiway N8 and got stuck in the mud there. “The plane skidded off the taxiway after landing at the airport at 0413 hours,” officials said.

“The main runway has been closed till 8 p.m. as a precautionary measure as the affected aircraft is very close to the runway. We are managing with the secondary runway and there is an average delay of 30 minutes in operations. The landing gear of the aircraft is stuck in the mud,” Mumbai airport officials added.

Three passenger and two cargo flights were diverted from the airport during the day.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airways officials said that a new aircraft has been allocated for the passengers travelling from Mumbai to Istanbul.

This is the second such incident to occur in the country this week.

On Monday, a Gulf Air plane with 137 on board, had skidded off the runway and got stuck in the mud at Kochi airport in bad weather, injuring seven passengers.

The Director General of Civil Aviation, Mr E.K. Bharat Bhushan, termed the incident on Friday as a “serious incident” and ordered an inquiry.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW