An Air India plane carrying 172 passengers suffered "minor" damages after it hit air turbulence on Friday on the way to Kochi from Thiruvananthapuram, but landed safely, an official said on Saturday.
No injury to any passenger or crew has been reported, he said, adding Air India's safety department has carried out a detailed investigation.
"Air India's Delhi-Trivandrum-Kochi flight A1467 hit air turbulence when it was on the way to Kochi from Trivandrum. Though no injury has been reported, the A321 aircraft suffered minor damages. It was grounded immediately after landing for inspection. Due to this, the return flight was delayed by nearly four hours," the official said, adding an investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, sources in the airline said that on September 17 also, an Air India New Delhi-Vijaywada plane with 174 passengers hit severe bad weather.
When contacted, an Air India spokesperson said the matter was not reported to the airline.