Air India Express Jeddah-Kozhikode flight makes emergency landing at Kochi airport

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), in a statement, said that it successfully facilitated the safe emergency landing of the Air India Express flight

An Air India Express flight bound for Kozhikode from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, made an emergency landing at the Kochi airport reportedly due to issues involving its landing gear and tyre failure.

The aircraft, with 160 passengers onboard, landed safely at 9.07 am under full emergency conditions.

In a statement, the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) said that it successfully facilitated the safe emergency landing of Air India Express flight IX 398 from Jeddah to Kozhikode, which was diverted to Kochi due to a technical issue involving the right main landing gear and tyre failure, PTI reported.

"All emergency services were activated in advance, and there were no injuries reported among passengers or crew. Post-landing inspection confirmed that both right-side tyres had burst," a CIAL spokesperson said in the statement.

Subsequently, the runway was cleared and released for operations, the statement added.

The incident did not lead to any further disruption of scheduled flights as authorities managed to ensure the safe handling of the emergency situation.

A few days back, an IndiGo airline suffered a tail strike while landing at the Ranchi airport. The incident took place on December 12 when the Bhubaneswar-Ranchi flight was landing with around 70 passengers on board.

"The tail of the aircraft touched the runway during landing. Passengers experienced a sudden jolt. However, they were all safe and unharmed," Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar told PTI.

Post the incident, the airline was grounded, as it was found technically ineligible for takeoff.

"Its next departure from Ranchi to Bhubaneswar was cancelled. Some passengers cancelled their journey, while some rescheduled their travel. Some passengers were sent to Bhubaneswar by road," he added.