Pune Runway Closure
- An Indian Air Force jet experienced an undercarriage failure or hard landing, temporarily closing Pune's runway. - The crew were reported safe, but flights were diverted while the runway was inspected and repaired. - Operations resumed in phases after restoration, showing how a single military incident can ripple into civilian airfield disruption (indianexpress.com; indiatoday.in).
A late-night Indian Air Force landing mishap shut Pune’s only runway for hours, diverting flights and freezing one of India’s shared military-civilian airports. (indianexpress.com) Airport officials said the incident happened around 10:25 p.m. on April 17, when an Indian Air Force fighter aircraft suffered an undercarriage failure during landing and came to a stop on the runway. The crew were reported safe. (indiatoday.in) Because Pune uses a single runway for both Air Force and civilian traffic, no airline could land or depart until the aircraft was removed, the surface checked, and repairs completed. The runway was unavailable for more than nine hours, according to The Indian Express. (indianexpress.com) Flights began returning in phases on April 18, with departures restarting at 7:30 a.m. and arrivals at 8 a.m., after safety inspections and clearances were completed. The first arrival landed at 8:58 a.m., and the first departure left at 9:17 a.m. (indianexpress.com) The disruption spread quickly because Pune airport sits inside an Indian Air Force base and does not have a second runway to absorb a blockage. A single disabled aircraft can therefore halt both military and commercial movements at once. (indianexpress.com) Airport director Santosh Dhoke said airlines were asked to cancel, delay, or divert flights while teams worked overnight with heavy equipment to clear the stranded jet and inspect the pavement. Early reports said more than 80 flights were affected across cancellations and schedule changes. (livemint.com) Union minister Murlidhar Mohol said runway repairs had been completed and traffic would normalize gradually through the day on April 18 rather than all at once. That staggered restart reflected the backlog of aircraft, crews, and passengers created overnight. (thehindu.com) The Indian Air Force has opened a court of inquiry into the aircraft incident, according to The Indian Express. That process will examine what caused the hard landing or gear failure and whether any procedural or technical changes follow. (indianexpress.com) By Saturday, the runway was back in service, but the episode showed how a problem on one military aircraft can spill into civilian timetables within minutes at a shared airfield like Pune. (economictimes.indiatimes.com)
