 "A-I Express flight faces mid-air glitch post take-off from TN, lands safely")
A Sharjah bound flight from Tiruchirappalli, shortly after departure on Friday evening, witnessed mid-air technical glitch and later landed safely, police said.
Chief Minister M K Stalin held an emergency meeting with officials and directed them to follow all safety measures. Later, he congratulated the flight captain and crew for the safe landing.
After taking off at about 5.30 pm from the airport, the fault related to hydraulic systems, the landing gear, was noticed. Deftly handling the situation, the pilots later safely landed the aircraft in Tiruchirappalli airport.
The chief minister in a post on 'X' said: "I am heartened to hear that the #AirIndiaExpress flight has landed safely. Upon receiving news of the landing gear issue, I immediately coordinated an emergency meeting with officials over the phone and instructed them to implement all necessary safety measures, including deploying fire engines, ambulances, and medical assistance.
"I have also now directed the District Collector to ensure the continued safety of all the passengers and to provide further assistance. My compliments to the Captain and crew for the safe landing."
Earlier, as part of protocol, fire tenders, rescue personnel and ambulances had been rushed to the airport. Aviation regulator DGCA was monitoring the situation.
Aviation regulator DGCA will conduct a thorough examination of the Air India Express plane that suffered a hydraulic failure while operating a flight from Trichy to ascertain the cause of the glitch.
The aircraft carrying 141 people suffered a hydraulic failure soon after take-off and went around Trichy for nearly two-and-a-half hours before making a safe landing at Trichy airport.
In a statement, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said the airport and emergency teams responded swiftly and effectively after a full emergency was declared at 1805 hours.
The flight landed at 2015 hours.
"The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been instructed to conduct a thorough examination of the aircraft to determine the exact cause of the hydraulic issue.
"In the meantime, Air India Express has been advised to provide all necessary assistance to the passengers, including alternate arrangements for their onward journey," Naidu said.