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IndiGo flight 6E105 travelling from Bengaluru to Pune on Thursday was diverted to Mumbai due to unfavourable weather in the city. Pune International Airport director Santosh Dhoke said the flight was diverted due to extreme weather.
“Due to intense rain and low level clouds Bangalore-Pune IndiGo flight diverted to Mumbai,” he said.
The flight took off from Bengaluru at 6:45 pm and reached the airspace around Pune Airport around 8:00 pm. It circled over Pune for 30 minutes before heading on to Mumbai, where it finally landed at around 9:00 pm. Earlier in the day, the Airbus A320neo aircraft had travelled from Mauritius to Bengaluru.
This is the second time in this week that flights have been diverted from Pune airport due to unfavourable weather. On Sunday, 14 flights were diverted between midnight and 8 am on Monday due to intense rain. Three of these flights later returned to Pune after intensity of rain reduced. The diverted flights were sent to various cities like Hyderabad, Surat, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad.
The Pune airport serves as both an international airport and an Indian Air Force base, known as Lohegaon Air Force Station. With the delays on Sunday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) extended support by permitting flight movements during the military block time (as per the NOTAM).
NOTAM, or Notice to Airmen, is an official notification from an aviation authority that informs pilots and other aviation personnel about hazards or temporary changes in flight operations, such as runway closures, airspace restrictions, or navigation aid issues.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), around 120 km from Pune, is set to open on September 30. This airport will be closer to Pune as compared to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Mumbai and also more easily accessible through the Pune-Mumbai Expressway.
