PUNE: An Indian Air Force (IAF) SU-30MKI fighter jet crashed at Pune airport late Friday night, temporarily shutting down the runway and causing widespread disruption to flight operations.
Flight tracking data shows at least eight incoming flights were diverted to other cities, including Surat, Goa, Navi Mumbai, Chennai, and Coimbatore, as the incident unfolded around 10:25 PM. The disruption was significant, with authorities indicating it may take up to five hours to restore normal runway operations.
In a post on social media platform X, the Indian Air Force confirmed the incident, stating: “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”.
The IAF’s statement came after several media reports initially speculated about the nature of the crash. While the IAF has not yet released the official cause of the incident, a senior police officer said the aircraft experienced a “hard landing” on the runway. The Pune Airport Director, Santosh Dhoke, confirmed that a fighter jet experienced an “undercarriage failure during landing, resulting in the blockage of the runway”.
Pune airport, a key aviation hub in Maharashtra, operates on a dual-use model, integrating civilian commercial operations with an active IAF air station.
