the goan I network
VASCO
When several passengers were returning from Bangalore to Goa by an Indigo flight on Wednesday evening, little did they realise that they would be forced to fly towards Pune and finally end up at Hyderabad.
A snag in the runway at Dabolim airport for about three hours is reported to have affected at least two domestic flights, causing inconvenience to a large number of passengers.
Narrating the sequence of events, a passenger on board the Bangalore-Goa Indigo flight informed The Goan from the Hyderabad airport that he was part of a group of nearly 50 persons returning from a holiday and they had taken the Indigo flight from Bangalore to Goa.
“Our flight took off from Bangalore at about 6.15 pm and we were scheduled to land in Goa at about 7.40 pm. As we were approaching Goa, we were told that our flight was being diverted towards Pune due to some snag on the runway,” the passenger said.
“Sometime into our extended flight, we were then informed that the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) did not give permission to land in Pune and our flight was further diverted towards Hyderabad, where we eventually landed,” the passenger added.
The passenger acknowledged that the airlines had made necessary arrangements for the passengers stranded at Hyderabad airport, but admitted that the unexpected change in flight schedule would have caused hardships to a large number of people, especially those who had to reach Goa at the scheduled arrival.
The passengers were also unsure when their flight from Hyderabad would return to Goa.
When contacted, airport sources told The Goan that the lighting system at the Dabolim airport runway had encountered a snag at around 6.30 pm on Wednesday.
“The Navy immediately undertook the task of rectifying the snag and in the meantime, issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) that the runway would be closed for flight operations till around 10.30 pm.”
“As a result of the NOTAM and repair work on the runway, no flight could land nor take off at Dabolim airport Goa, while flights scheduled to arrive at Goa had to be diverted during this time,” the source said.
When contacted, AAI Director Gagan Malik informed that one Bangalore-Goa flight was diverted after NOTAM was declared by the Navy on account of urgent runway repair work.
“A Bangalore-Goa Indigo flight had to be diverted to Pune as it could not land on the runway, while an Air Asia flight from Goa to Indore has been stranded at the airport till the runway lights are restored.”
“The NOTAM was declared at around 6.30 pm and naval authorities have informed that repair work would be completed by around 10.30 pm,” he said.
Later, Malik confirmed that the runway was restored for flight operations at about 9.45 pm.
