NEW DELHI: Heavy rain and strong winds wreaked havoc across Mumbai on Sunday, disrupting air travel, claiming a life and triggering fresh political sparring over the city’s monsoon preparedness. Flight operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport were severely affected after runway operations were suspended for about an hour, while the India Meteorological Department retained a red alert, warning of more intense rainfall.
Flight operations hit
Heavy rain and gusty winds forced Mumbai International Airport to suspend runway operations between 10.17 am and 11.17 am, disrupting both arrivals and departures.The weather forced the cancellation of four IndiGo flights and the diversion of 13 incoming aircraft operated by different airlines. All the diverted flights later returned to Mumbai and landed safely after conditions improved, according to sources.The airport operator said the suspension was necessary to ensure operational safety.“At approximately 10.17 am, adverse weather conditions, including strong gusty winds of up to 42 knots and reduced visibility due to heavy rain, impacted runway operations.”It added that runway operations were “temporarily suspended” to ensure the safety of passengers, aircraft and ground personnel before normal services resumed about an hour later.
Delays mount across airport
The disruption left passengers stranded as delays spread across the airport. According to Flightradar24, around 90% of departing flights were delayed by an average of 65 to 75 minutes, while between 45% and 62% of arriving flights were running late, depending on the time of the data update. The airport operator did not disclose the total number of delayed or cancelled flights.Air Traffic Control sources said Mumbai airport handles between 980 and 1,000 flights every day, averaging around 48 aircraft movements every hour, comprising 24 arrivals and 24 departures.
IndiGo cancels four services
According to sources, the cancelled IndiGo flights were 6E 395 from Delhi to Mumbai, 6E 5273 from Mumbai to Indore, 6E 552 from Indore to Mumbai and 6E 6613 from Mumbai to Delhi.The airline said it was monitoring the evolving weather situation.“Bad weather over Delhi and Mumbai has impacted flight schedule. We are closely monitoring the weather….we request you that you stay updated on your flight status,”IndiGo, however, did not specifically mention the four cancelled services in its statement.
Heavy rain turns fatal
The relentless rainfall also claimed a life in Kurla. A 63-year-old man, identified as Yunus Kundawala, died after a tree collapsed onto a shop near the Hindi BMC School at Gomes Gown Building in Kamani, Kurla West.The incident was reported at around 12.40 pm. Kundawala was taken to Fauzia Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead.Congress attacks BJP over civic infrastructureThe heavy rain also reignited the political battle over Mumbai’s civic infrastructure.Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad accused the BJP of being responsible for the city’s deteriorating infrastructure, arguing that the party could not evade responsibility after effectively controlling the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for nearly three decades.She said the BJP had governed the civic body for 25 years in alliance with the Shiv Sena and had continued to wield influence through the administrator appointed after civic elections were not held from 2022.“The BJP has looted Mumbai while filling its own coffers. It cannot shirk responsibility for the city’s decline,” she alleged.Gaikwad questioned the BMC’s annual expenditure of more than Rs 100 crore on drain desilting, saying even brief spells of rain continued to leave roads waterlogged, trees uprooted, residential societies flooded and traffic paralysed despite repeated assurances that monsoon preparedness was “100 per cent complete”.She also criticised the civic administration, alleging the mayor appeared “more occupied with making reels”, while claiming the municipal commissioner had failed to deliver meaningful work.
IMD keeps red alert in place
Mumbai remained under a red alert as monsoon activity intensified across several parts of the country.The India Meteorological Department warned of continued heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the city, while rain also affected parts of Delhi and prompted weather alerts in Kerala, Odisha and Jharkhand.
