Kerala: Full emergency declared at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport
In yet another aviation-related incident in India, a full emergency was announced at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala on Friday after a Dammam-bound Air India Express flight from Calicut (also known as Kozhikode) was diverted to the state capital amid suspicions of a reported hydraulic failure. As per sources in the know at the airport, the flight landed at 12.15 PM in Thiruvananthapuram.
Flight's tail part hit runway during take-off: Report
As per reports by the news agency PTI, sources also revealed the tail part of the Air India Express IX 385 hit the runway at the time of take-off from the Calicut International Airport in the morning. The report further revealed that the flight, carrying 182 passengers onboard, landed at the airport after dumping fuel over the Arabian Sea to facilitate a "safe landing."
Airport spokesperson provides update on flight
While providing an update on the "emergency landing," an airport spokesperson said: "The aircraft, a Boeing 738, was able to touch down safely at the airport and all the passengers were shifted to the transit lounge." "The emergency was also withdrawn shortly after the landing and no flight services were affected by the emergency landing," the airport official further told PTI.
Here's why Air-India Express picked Thiruvananthapuram for emergency landing
The airline reportedly chose the Thiruvananthapuram airport for the landing because it has the facility for Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul (MRO) at the airport. Notably, the Air-India Express flight reportedly had enough fuel to fly for about six and a half hours, and the aircraft's body had structural weight limitations for landing with a full fuel load.
Detailed inquiry can ascertain actual cause of accident: Sources
"It is not known immediately what went wrong during the take-off of the aircraft. Attempting for take-off before attaining the take-off speed at times led to such incidents. Only a detailed inquiry can ascertain the actual cause of the accident," an airport source revealed.
Earlier incident of emergency landing involving Air India Express flight
Earlier this month, an Air India Express Kozhikode-bound flight returned to Abu Dhabi on February 3 soon after take-off after flames were reported in one of the engines. According to the news agency ANI, the airline confirmed that the flight landed safely, and all passengers were safe. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) revealed that there were 184 passengers on board.
Pilot detected flame in one of the engines: Airline official
As per an airline official, the pilot noticed a fire in one of the engines and decided to return to the airport immediately for an emergency landing. "Soon after taking off and climbing to 1,000 feet, the pilot detected a flame in one of the engines and decided to go back to Abu Dhabi airport," an airline official told ANI.
Snake on Air India Express's Dubai-bound flight
Another issue befell Air India Express in December 2022, when a snake was spotted on the airline's Dubai-bound flight. After taking off from Calicut as scheduled, the Air India Express Boeing B-737 aircraft landed in Dubai, when the crew found a snake in the cargo hold. The aviation authority had informed then that it had ordered a thorough probe into the incident.
