Air India Express flight panic: DGCA begins probe into emergency landing of plane at Tiruchi airport

Air India Express flight from Tiruchi to Sharjah experienced hydraulic failure | Photo credit: Special agreement

A senior official of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) arrived at Tiruchi International Airport from Chennai in the early hours of Saturday (October 12, 2024) to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident involving an Air India Express flight to Sharjah that took place on Friday (October 11, 2024) had to make an emergency landing in Tiruchi after a technical breakdown occurred due to a hydraulic failure.

The DGCA official will inspect the aircraft in question to ascertain the root cause of the incident and also go through the conversation recordings between its pilot and the air traffic control tower. The official is also expected to speak to the flight engineers and pilot, airport sources said.

The flight, in which the mishap occurred shortly after take-off from Tiruchi, was stationed at the airport. The officer will submit a report on the incident to the DGCA authorities in New Delhi.

An alternative flight has been arranged for the passengers to Sharjah. The flight landed here from Thiruvananthapuram airport in the early hours of Saturday.

According to the airline, 108 passengers, including three small children, boarded the flight to Sharjah, which took off at around 1:45 a.m. Twenty additional passengers decided to change their travel dates and 15 others canceled their trip. Passengers who chose to cancel will receive a full refund.

District Collector M. Pradeep Kumar interacted with some passengers at the airport in the early hours of Saturday and recorded the details of the incident.