Air India Express flight to Sharjah safely lands in Trichy after mid-air scare

Sharjah-bound Air India Express flight safely lands in Trichy after mid-air technical issue

An Air India Express flight from Sharjah landed safely at the Tiruchirappalli airport on Friday evening, after a mid-air technical glitch forced the plane to circle the airport before making a precautionary landing.

Sharjah-bound flight IX613 flew over Trichy airspace for over an hour before making a precautionary landing, burning excess fuel.

“Air India Express flight IX 613 from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah landed safely at Tiruchirappalli airport. DGCA is monitoring the situation. Landing gear deployed. Flight landed normally. Airport placed on alert,” Ministry of Civil Aviation. said in a statement.

In response to earlier reports of an emergency, an Air India Express spokesperson clarified, “We are aware of media reports regarding the operation of an Air India Express flight on the Tiruchirappalli-Sharjah route.

We would like to clarify that no emergency has been declared by the operations team.”

Given the length of the runway, the spokesperson explained that the plane circled the airspace as a precaution to reduce fuel and weight before landing.

“After reporting a technical problem, the aircraft circled several times in the area designated as an abundance of caution before making a safe precautionary landing,” the spokesman said. “The cause of the crisis will be properly investigated. Meanwhile, alternative flight arrangements are being made for the journey of our guests.

According to India Today, the Trichy airport director said the pilot alerted ground control about the hydraulic malfunction.

Local authorities assured that there was no immediate cause for concern.
“The airspace is currently circling to evacuate the fuel. We have kept ambulances and rescue teams on standby as a precautionary measure,” the district collector said, India Today reported.

The aircraft was hovering over Tiruchirappalli as it sought permission to land, according to flightradar24.com, a service that tracks flights.

More than 20 ambulances and fire engines have been maintained on standby at the airport to guarantee safety, according to Gopalakrishnan, the director of the airport.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K.Stalin posted on X, “I am very happy to hear that the #AirIndiaExpress flight has landed safely.” “On receiving news of the landing gear issue, I immediately coordinated an emergency meeting with the authorities over phone and instructed them to activate all necessary safety measures, including fire engines, ambulances and medical assistance.