The aircraft, whose nose wheel landing gear is stuck in soft mud a few feet off the runway, was yet to be removed till Friday night, leading to some disruption of air traffic.

One of the aircraft's engines reportedly malfunctioned on the take-off roll, causing the pilot to apply emergency brakes. The aircraft swerved off the runway and came to a halt when its nose wheel landing gear got stuck in the mud.

Fire engines and Airports Authority of India (AAI) personnel rushed to the aircraft. The passengers were taken off the aircraft with the help of step ladders and put up in hotels. They were later flown to Riyadh on Friday morning, said an airport official.

``The aircraft is yet to be cleared from the runway, and the main runway 09-27 is still closed foroperations. However, the alternative runway has been opened up and we haven't had any problems since Friday morning,'' Airport Director, R J Treasurywala, told Express Newsline. Barring a few flights which had to be diverted to nearby airports immediately following the mishap, there has been no disruptions of flights since Friday morning, he informed.

Officials of the AAI and Saudia Airlines were clearing out the aircraft. ``Things are likely to return to complete normalcy only by midnight tonight,'' added Treasurywala. Fuel has been removed and baggage and containers offloaded from the aircraft. Efforts are also being made to pull it out with the help of air bags. A team of Saudi officials is also expected to fly in to check the extent of damage to the aircraft, sources added.

The closure of the main runway, coupled with heavy rains and poor visibility, led to the diversion of five incoming international flights and a domestic Indian Airlines flight. Flights of Delta, Lufthansa, British Airways,Singapore Airlines and Air India which were diverted to Delhi due to the closure of the runway returned to Mumbai only this morning.