MUMBAI: Heavy rains and gusty winds forced Mumbai international airport authorities to suspend all runway operations for an hour on Sunday, severely disrupting flight services at the facility.
The closure at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, which lasted from 10.17 am to 11.17 am, affected several inbound and outbound flights, leaving passengers to grapple with an average departure delay of 75 minutes and arrivals by at least 28 minutes.
According to the live flight-tracking website, flightradar24.com, 87 per cent of the flights were delayed at the airport, while another 62 per cent arrived late.
"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. As per procedure, runway operations were temporarily suspended to ensure the safety of passengers, aircraft and ground personnel," the Mumbai International Airport Ltd said in a statement.
Following an improvement in weather conditions, normal runway operations resumed after an hour, it said.
The airport, jointly owned by the Adani Group and Airports Authority of India, however, declined to share the number of cancelled or delayed flights at its facility.
According to Air Traffic Control (ATC) sources, the airport handles 980 to 1,000 flights a day, with an average of 48 air traffic movements - 24 arrivals and 24 departures per hour.
As per data from flightradar24.com, 3 per cent of city-bound flights were cancelled due to weather conditions.