SpiceJet Plane Skids Off Runway At Shirdi, Passengers Stuck For Hours

A SpiceJet plane overshot the touch-down point while landing at Maharashtra's Shirdi and skidded off the runway on Monday afternoon, bringing all operations at the small airport serving the bustling temple town to a halt.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will be probing the incident.

All passengers and crew are safe and efforts are on to tow away the aircraft from the runway and resume operations at the earliest, airport officials told news agency PTI.

However, passengers were stuck at the airport for several hours, left with little clarity. Some took to Twitter to express their frustration. Shirdi is about 230 km from Mumbai.

Two hours past still no one is able to reach upto flight @NashikNews https://t.co/WUSVgSVFM8

— Chowkidar Dharmesh Rathod (@rathoddj1982) April 29, 2019

"A SpiceJet aircraft shot off the runway by about 50 meters and skidded off. There is no injury to any passenger and the crew, though. Our first priority is to evacuate passengers without compromising their safety," an airport official told news agency PTI over the phone.

The number of passengers and crew on board the Boeing 737-800 aircraft is not immediately clear, he added.

The aircraft was stuck on the runway due to which all arrivals and departures have been stopped.

"We are making all efforts to tow away the aircraft and clear the runway for operations as the earliest," he added.

SpiceJet said its flight SG 946 from New Delhi was involved in the incident.

"While landing at Shirdi, the aircraft overshot the runway. However, the passengers and crew are safe and are being deplaned normally," the airline said in the statement.

Inaugurated in 2017, the airport is located about 14 km from the holy town of Shirdi, famous for a temple of 19th century saint Sai Baba. Thousands of devotees visit the temple every day.

(With inputs from PTI)