Scare in the air: Air India Express flight suffers hydraulic problem and lands safely | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Air India Express Tiruchirapalli-Sharjah flight returned safely to its origin on Friday evening. The Boeing 737 (VT-AYB) had left Trichy at 5.43 pm with around 150 people on board. Shortly after take-off, the aircraft suffered a hydraulic failure that prevented the landing gear from being retracted.
“Since the plane was refueled to fly to Sharjahthe crew will burn fuel by circling nearby for a while before landing. This is done to prevent landing too heavy by falling below the maximum landing weight. Landing with too much weight can damage the landing gear,” sources said. It landed safely at Trichy around 8.15 pm after safely burning fuel.
The airline described it as a “precautionary landing” because of the suspected snag. All precautionary measures such as positioning emergency vehicles along the runway as per norms have been taken for the landing of this aircraft.

An Civil Aviation Ministry spokesperson said: “We are aware of media reports regarding an Air India Express flight on the Tiruchirappalli – Sharjah route. We would like to clarify that no state of emergency has been declared by the operational crew. After reporting a technical problem, the aircraft circled the designated area several times as an abundance of caution, to reduce fuel and weight given the length of the runway, before making a safe precautionary landing. The cause of the malfunction will be extensively investigated. In the meantime, an alternative aircraft will be arranged for the onward journey of our guests.”
Reacting to the incident, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin said he was “heartened” to know that the plane had landed safely at the airport. Tiruchirapalli international airport. He also said he had instructed authorities to ensure all necessary assistance and continued safety for all passengers.

“Upon receiving news of the landing gear problem, I immediately coordinated an emergency meeting with officials over telephone and instructed them to implement all necessary safety measures, including deployment of fire engines, ambulances and medical assistance,” wrote CM Stalin X.