The turmoil began around 10:25pm on Friday when an IAF plane made a “hard landing”, leaving the plane stranded on the runway.
Aviation operations in Work resumed at Pune airport on Saturday after a late-night Indian Air Force plane accident led to the suspension of services for more than 11 hours and severe disruption to flights.
The disturbance began at around 10:25pm on Friday when it happened The IAF aircraft suffered a landing gear failure during landing. This resulted in a “hard landing” that left the plane 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 temporarily halted operations Pune Airport.
The authorities issued a Notice to Pilots (NOTAM) and diverted several incoming flights to airports including Goa, Chennai, Surat, Coimbatore and Navi Mumbai.
Many departures and arrivals were also canceled overnight, affecting major airlines.
Flight cancellations and disruptions
The temporary closure has severely impacted flight operations, leading to widespread cancellations across airlines. As of six in the morning, the following flights have been cancelled:
- IndiGo: 31 arrivals, 34 departures
- Air India: 3 arrivals and 3 departures
- SpiceJet: 2 arrivals and 3 departures
- Akasa Airlines: 2 arrivals and 3 departures
- Air India Express: 5 arrivals and 5 departures
In addition to the cancellations, many flights were delayed or diverted overnight due to runway unavailability, as airlines coordinated the rebooking and rerouting of passengers.
Passenger effect
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’s happening?” One user wrote on X.
Flight tracking platform FlightRadar said: “The plane accident in Pune resulted in the runway being closed.”
Airlines have issued warnings and worked with passengers affected by delays and cancellations. Airport authorities, along with CISF and AAI teams, have been deployed at the terminal to manage crowd flow and assist travellers.
Support arrangements including drinking water, refreshments and continuous flight updates are in place to minimize inconvenience to passengers during the disruption.
What did the international coalition say?
“The runway at Pune airport, which was temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an IAF aircraft, has now been restored and declared operational. All necessary safety inspections and clearances have been completed. Operations are resuming in a phased manner,” the Indian Air Force wrote in a statement.
Following runway clearance and safety checks, operations resumed in phases from Saturday morning, with departures resuming first, followed by arrivals. Officials said air traffic is expected to gradually stabilize as airlines clear backlogs caused by the nighttime disruption.
Neha LM Tripathi is a special correspondent for the National Political Bureau of Hindustan Times. She covers the aviation and railway ministries, and also writes about travel trends. Her work spans national developments, with a focus on politics, 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 of the newsroom, Neha enjoys touring and traveling.Read more
