Tiruchi-Sharjah flight mid-air scare: Passengers told about glitch only 30 minutes before landing

Passengers at the Tiruchi airport after an Air India Express flight landed safely following a mid-air glitch on October 11, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Passengers on board the Air India Express flight were unaware of the technical glitch for nearly two hours after the flight took off from the Tiruchi airport.

“It was only 30 minutes before the aircraft made an emergency landing were the passengers informed about the technical glitch”, said A. Shahul Hameed who was on the flight to Sharjah.

Passengers were anxious and some of them became tense once the information was conveyed on board nearly two hours after take off, Mr. Hameed told The Hindu over phone after the flight landed safely in Tiruchi. 

Mr. Hameed, a resident of Tiruchi and working as a building maintenance official at Sharjah, said this was the first time he had encountered such an incident.

Anxious relatives of passengers rushed to the airport on hearing news about the mid-air scare.

“We came to know about the emergency situation after watching the news flash in the TV channels”, said Abu Dahir of Tiruchi whose close relative Sithara Banu was on board the flight.

Ms. Banu from Musiri near Tiruchi was seen off at the airport by her parents, he said adding that he rushed to the airport upon receiving the information. 

Passengers became relaxed once it became clear that the aircraft made a safe landing, said Mr. Hameed. Some of the relatives tried to call the passengers to know about the situation and to enquire about their condition. 

Govindarajan, Airport Director, Tiruchi, told The Hindu that the flight took off around 5.40 p.m. Around 6.05 p.m. the pilot communicated to the Air Traffic Control tower regarding the technical glitch owing to hydraulic failure. The pilot kept flying as he had to jettison fuel and keep minimum fuel to make an emergency landing. 

Information about the full scale emergency landing was flashed to all stakeholders including district administration and the city police.

 Fire tenders and ambulances were scrambled at the airport as per standard operating protocol, Mr. Govindarajan said. 

The pilot conveyed to the airport that he was approaching for a “normal” landing. The flight made a normal landing at around 8.15 p.m. and all passengers were safe, Mr. Govindarajan said. 

State Health Department had mobilised a team of doctors and a fleet ambulances including private ones. About 25 ambulances were stationed outside the airport to deal with any situation, said Kumaravel, Dean, KAPV Government Medical College Hospital, Tiruchi. Four among the passengers were children, he added.

An alternate flight is being arranged by the airline in the early hours on Saturday (October 12, 2024) for the passengers to continue with their journey.

Mr. Govindarajan said a senior official of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation from Chennai would arrive at Tiruchi airport to inquire into the incident.