Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 18 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Saturday announced that the runway repair work at Pune Airport had been completed on a war footing after an incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft temporarily disrupted operations.

In a post on X, Mohol said safety remained the top priority during restoration work and confirmed that departure operations resumed from 7:30 am, while arrival operations restarted from 8:00 am. He added that air traffic in Pune is expected to gradually return to normal over the course of the day.

'The runway at Pune Airport was temporarily unavailable following an incident involving an IAF aircraft. Runway repair work has since been completed on a war footing, with safety maintained as the top priority throughout. Departure operations will resume from 07:30 AM, and arrival operations will commence from 08:00 AM. Air traffic in Pune is expected to gradually return to normal over the course of the day,' Mohol posted.

Earlier on Friday, the IAF said the runway had become temporarily unavailable following the aircraft-related incident, but confirmed that the aircrew were safe and there was no damage to civil property.

In a post on X, the IAF stated, 'Pune runway is temporarily unavailable due to an incident involving an IAF aircraft. The aircrew are safe and there is no damage to civil property. Efforts are underway to operationalise the runway and resume normal operations at the earliest.'

According to the Airport Director, the disruption led to the cancellation of several flights, including 31 arrivals and 34 departures of IndiGo, three arrivals and three departures of Air India, two arrivals and three departures of SpiceJet, two arrivals and three departures of Akasa Air, and five arrivals and five departures of Air India Express.

Efforts were undertaken to operationalise the runway at the earliest, and authorities have indicated that normal operations are being restored progressively. (ANI)