Permission for take-off was denied to a chartered aircraft carrying Maharashtra Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil at Latur airport on Wednesday evening, according to an official statement from the district administration, reported the PTI.
The Shiv Sena leader was scheduled to fly to Jalgaon, his hometown, earlier in the day. However, he reportedly arrived late at the airport, which delayed the planned departure.
Officials said that flight operations from Latur airport require clearances from Bidar and two other authorities. As the necessary permissions could not be obtained in time, the aircraft was not allowed to take off, according to the PTI.
Following the denial of permission, Minister Patil travelled to Jalgaon by road, officials confirmed.
No further details were shared by the administration regarding the incident.
Technical snag reported in chopper scheduled to fly minister Pankaja Munde
A technical snag was detected in a helicopter hours before it was scheduled to transport Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde for campaigning for the Zilla Parishad polls in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, an airport official had said on Tuesday, reported the PTI.
The snag was found late on Monday night hours before the BJP leader was to fly to Latur, he said. According to officials, Munde arrived in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on a chartered plane on Monday and took the helicopter for poll campaigning later in the day.
However, when the aviation company conducted a routine inspection later that night, they found some technical issues with the chopper and informed the authorities at the Chikalthana airport, they said. The chopper was scheduled to transport the BJP leader to Latur around 11 am on Tuesday, but her journey was delayed by two hours, the official said.
Helicopter was old
Talking to reporters, Munde said that the helicopter was old, but she didn`t raise the issue and continued her travel. She said ever since NCP leader Ajit Pawar`s tragic death in the January 28 crash in Baramati, flying has caused anxiety among party leaders.
Munde has been campaigning extensively for the February 7 Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls, and has held rallies in Marathwada. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed along with four others after a chartered aircraft crashed at Baramati in Pune district last week.
(with PTI inputs)
