Goa airport closed temporarily as fuel spill from MiG-29K tank causes fire

A portion of the main runway of the airport caught fire after a drop tank of a MiG-29K aircraft fell down from the jet while it was taking off.

New Delhi: The Goa airport was closed temporarily on Saturday afternoon following an incident of fire caused by a detachable fuel tank, which fell off a naval fighter aircraft, spilling fuel on the runway. "Due to jettisoned fuel tank on the runway during MiG sortie the operations are closed for two hours at Goa airport. Pl bear with us," Airport Authority of India (AAI) Goa tweeted on its official Twitter handle on Saturday afternoon. A portion of the main runway of the airport caught fire after a drop tank of a MiG-29K aircraft fell down from the jet while it was taking off, Navy spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said.

Flash. #GoaAirport closed temporarily for a few hours view incident of fire caused by a drop tank of MiG 29K which got detached whilst taking off. All efforts in hand to resume flights ASAP. MiG 29K fighter ac is safe. @aaigoaairport @AAI_Official pic.twitter.com/5iDRT8r6BX

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) June 8, 2019

He said the airport has been closed for a few hours following the incident that took place around 2 PM. The Goa airport is used for both civilian and military aircraft. "All efforts are on to resume flight services at the airport as soon as possible," Sharma said. (agency inputs) WATCH: Siachen soldier is not holding a brick but frozen juice! Watch the Viral Video