Flights cancelled, diverted: IAF's ‘hard landing’ at Pune airport led to 11-hour shutdown

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like Flight operations at Pune airport resumed on Saturday after a late-night Indian Air Force aircraft incident led to an over 11-hour suspension of services and heavy flight disruptions. The disruption began around 10:25 pm on Friday. (ANI)The disruption began around 10:25 pm on Friday when an IAF aircraft experienced a landing gear failure during touchdown. It led to a “hard landing” that left the aircraft stranded on the runway. A minor fire broke out but was quickly brought under control, and all crew members were reported safe. The blocked runway forced a temporary shutdown of operations at Pune Airport. Authorities issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) and diverted multiple incoming flights to airports including Goa, Chennai, Surat, Coimbatore and Navi Mumbai. Several departures and arrivals were also cancelled overnight, affecting major airlines. The temporary closure severely impacted flight operations, leading to large-scale cancellations across airlines. Till 6:00 am, the following flights were cancelled: In addition to cancellations, several flights were also delayed or diverted overnight due to the runway unavailability, with airlines coordinating passenger rebooking and rerouting. Flight tracking updates also reflected the disruption, with X users reporting diversions such as IndiGo flight 6E671 from Coimbatore to Pune making a U-turn. “What is happening?” a user wrote on X. Flight tracking platform FlightRadar said, “Aircraft incident at Pune has closed the runway.” Airlines issued advisories and worked with passengers affected by delays and cancellations. Airport authorities, along with CISF and AAI teams, were deployed at the terminal to manage crowd flow and assist travellers. Support arrangements including drinking water, refreshments, and continuous flight updates were provided to minimise passenger inconvenience during the disruption. The IAF wrote in a statement, “The runway at Pune Airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an Indian Air Force aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational. All necessary safety inspections and clearances have been completed. Operations are resuming in a phased manner.” After runway clearance and safety inspections, operations resumed in phases from Saturday morning, with departures restarting first, followed by arrivals. Officials said air traffic is expected to stabilise progressively as airlines clear the backlog caused by the overnight disruption. Neha LM Tripathi is a Special Correspondent with the National Political Bureau of Hindustan Times. She covers the aviation and railways ministries, and also writes on travel trends. Her work spans national developments, with a focus on policy, people, and the evolving travel landscape. She has 13 years of experience. Before moving to Delhi, she was based in Mumbai, where she began her journey as a journalist. Outside the newsroom, Neha enjoys trekking and travelling.Read More