Patna/Kochi/New Delhi: In three separate
aviation incidents in the country today, a tyre of a plane
burst during touchdown, an international flight made an
emergency landing and an aircraft hit airport runway lights
disrupting operations briefly.
Around 350 passengers were on board the flights involved
in the incidents and all are safe.
Sixty-Five passengers on an Air India flight had a close
shave when a tyre burst while it was taxiing on the tarmac
after landing in Patna, official sources said.
The pilot halted the New Delhi-Patna flight after
hearing a sound while the aircraft was taxiing, the sources
said. All passengers disembarked safely.
The return flight was cancelled as a result and the
passengers to New Delhi were accommodated on a Jet flight,
the sources said.
An Air Arabia Kochi-Sharjah flight with 160 passengers
and crew on board made an emergency landing at Kochi airport
after a suspected bird hit, airport sources said.
The flight had taken off from Kochi at 7:13 PM and
returned at 8:07 PM, the sources said. Technicians were
inspecting the aircraft.
Suspecting a bird hit, the pilot had requested the air
traffic control for emergency landing and airport authorities
took all precautionary measures.
Ambulance, fireforce service, police and CISF personnel
and senior officers of the airport were at the runway as the
flight landed safely, the sources added.
In the national Capital, Flight operation at the IGI
airport was affected this evening after some of the runway
edge lights were damaged by an aircraft forcing its closure.
The main runway (10/28) was not in operation between
6.30 and 7.45 pm after some runway edge lights were found
damaged and some rubber pieces of tyres lay scattered between
taxiways B and D, airport officials said.
During this period, the new runway (11/29) was in
operation and the second runway (09/27) was closed for
scheduled maintenance. As a result, some of the flights were
delayed as only one runway was available for arrival and
departure of flights, they said.
The runway lights were damaged by an Air India plane
(flight IC 415) which took off for Patna at 6.22 pm. The Pilot
of the aircraft also reported damage in the plane's tyre.
The airport official said that the normalcy in operations
has been restored and the re-installation work of damaged
lights will be undertaken tonight.
The matter has been reported to DGCA and is under
investigation, he added.
-PTI
First Published: Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 00:23