India
Immediately upon landing, two tyres of the AI aircraft got deflated. The aircraft was towed away to the parking bay. Meanwhile, a substitute aircraft has been sent to Male.
Male/New Delhi: In an incident of brazen violation of safety norms, an aircraft of the country’s national carrier Air India on Friday landed on an under-construction runway at the Maldives capital Male’s Velana International Airport.
The flight number was AI 263 that landed at 4.12 PM. The aircraft is an Airbus 320 Neo that was flying from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram to Maldives' Male.
MyNation has received a video that shows construction material scattered around the runway, which, needless to add, could have caused a serious accident.
Also read: Jet Airways flight forced to make emergency landing after bird hit; all passengers safe
No wonder, immediately upon landing, two tyres of the AI aircraft got deflated. The aircraft was towed away to the parking bay. Meanwhile, a substitute aircraft has been sent to Male.
Though all 136 passengers and the crew on board are said to be safe, the responsibility for this near-fiasco must be fixed. Whose fault was it? Air Traffic Control's or the pilots'?
Also read: Another engine glitch puts passengers’ lives at risk, but DGCA turns a blind eye
The Maldives Civil Aviation Authority has ordered a probe. Sources say both the pilots have been de-rostered.
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