Surat/Vadodara: Surat International Airport and Vadodara airport handled 13 flight diversions on Tuesday evening after adverse weather conditions in Mumbai disrupted flight operations.The diverted flights arriving at Surat were Mumbai-bound services from Tiruchirappalli, Delhi (two), Chennai (two), Goa, Coimbatore, Bhopal and Bengaluru. Of the nine flights, six were operated by IndiGo and Air India, according to sources.Four Mumbai-bound flights were also diverted to Vadodara airport amid adverse weather conditions in Mumbai. The diverted flights included Air India AI 2447 from Hyderabad to Mumbai, AI 599 from Vijayawada to Mumbai, AI 1780 from Indore to Mumbai and IndiGo 6E 329 from Delhi to Mumbai.Surat airport director AN Sharma said the airport managed the additional flight operations without affecting its scheduled services.“Surat International Airport efficiently managed the diverted flight operations, with all necessary arrangements coordinated to facilitate the safe and smooth handling of additional aircraft and passengers. The airport was able to cater to the increased operational requirement without disruption to its regular flight operations,” Sharma told TOI.He said the smooth handling of the diversions reflected the airport’s operational preparedness and infrastructure capacity. “Airport teams, airlines, security agencies and other stakeholders worked in close coordination to ensure passenger convenience, operational continuity and efficient turnaround of diverted flights,” he said.Aviation enthusiasts in Surat said the airport’s relatively low flight movement was an advantage in handling the sudden influx of aircraft. “If Surat had a busy airport with more flights operating from the city, it would have been difficult to accommodate such a large number of diverted flights. The 18 parking bays created for late arrivals and early departures could have already been occupied,” said an aviation enthusiast.According to sources, nine diversions are among the highest handled by Surat airport in a single instance. The airport has previously handled around seven to eight diverted flights at a time.
