An incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft forced the temporary closure of the runway at Pune Airport late Friday night, severely disrupting flight operations.
Visual context: Pune Airport runway & IAF fighter
What happened
The disruption began around 11 pm after a fighter jet reportedly made a “hard landing,” leading to an undercarriage failure. The aircraft came to a halt on the runway, blocking it completely.
Airport director Santosh Dhoke said the aircraft was stranded mid-runway after the landing incident around 10:25 pm. Authorities deployed cranes and heavy equipment to move it, with clearance operations expected to take 4–5 hours.
While defence sources indicated the aircraft was a Sukhoi Su-30MKI, the IAF did not officially confirm the aircraft type.
Flights hit, passengers stranded
The runway closure led to widespread disruption:
- At least 32 incoming flights were diverted or cancelled
- A similar number of departures were delayed or cancelled
- Night operations were effectively halted for several hours
Passengers reported confusion at the airport, with airlines offering refunds or asking travellers to wait amid uncertainty over when operations would resume.
IAF response
In a statement, the IAF confirmed that the runway—measuring 2,535 metres in length—was temporarily unavailable due to the incident. It added that the aircrew were safe and there was no damage to civilian property.
Officials said a formal court of inquiry would determine the exact cause of the hard landing and subsequent undercarriage failure.
Operations to resume after clearance
Authorities indicated that the runway would remain closed for 5–6 hours, and civil flight operations would only resume after inspection and clearance by the IAF.
Union minister Murlidhar Mohol said he was in touch with airport and Air Force officials to ensure an early resolution.
The incident caused significant inconvenience to passengers, highlighting the challenges of shared civil-military airport infrastructure during emergencies.
