VASCO
A tyre of a MiG 29k fighter jet burst alongside the runaway, causing a halt in operations at Dabolim Airport for half a day and the diversion of 11 flights on Tuesday noon.
Sources said the incident occurred at around 12.30 pm when the MiG 29k fighter jet was planning a routine sortie.
“The jet was about to take off from the runway when it skidded on the side and the tyre burst. There was a minor fire and the fire and emergency services were pressed into service. Naval authorities also rushed to the site and a crane was later dispatched to shift the fighter jet to the side of the taxiway.”
“In the meantime, minor repair works began and there was also an inspection conducted to see if the runway of the airport was damaged and as a result, flight operations had to be stopped for some time," said the source.
When contacted, Goa Airport Director Dhanamjaya Rao on Tuesday afternoon confirmed that operations at Dabolim airport had been shut down till around 3.30 pm.
"We shut down operations and the runway was closed because of some naval aircraft issue near the runway. We shut down the operations and no flight came to Dabolim airport till around 3.30 pm today," said Rao.
Sources said there were around 11 flights that were diverted to other airports, including around 4 flights which were diverted to Mopa Airport. Operations were later resumed at the Dabolim Airport.
