AI Express flight hits lamp-post on landing at Vijayawada’s Gannavaram airport

Nearly 64 passengers travelling in an Air India Express flight coming from Doha, the capital of Qatar, escaped unhurt at the Vijayawada International Airport at Gannavaram in Andhra Pradesh on Saturday evening, when the aircraft’s wing hit a lamp-post on the runway after landing.

An Air India Express spokesperson confirmed that “a minor accident” had taken place to the aircraft at the Vijayawada airport and all the passengers are safe.

According to the spokesperson, the flight (IX-1676) travelling from Doha to Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) in Tamil Nadu via Vijayawada landed at the Gannavaram airport at about 6 pm.

“It landed safely and was being taken towards taxiway when one of the wings accidentally hit the lamp-post located on one side. The aircraft was halted and all the 64 passengers disembarked. Everybody is safe and there are no injuries to anybody,” the spokesperson said.

Nineteen of the passengers were Vijayawada-bound, while the remaining 45 were supposed to continue up to Tiruchirappalli. “They have been taken to the airport lounge and alternative arrangements are being made to ferry them to their destination,” the spokesperson said.

Though it is a minor accident, the airport authorities have ordered an inquiry into the incident as per protocol. “Whether the aircraft’s wing hit the lamp-post due to improper marking on the taxiway or for any other reason will be known during the investigations,” he said.

An official at the Vijayawada airport, who pleaded anonymity, said the lamp-post was uprooted due to the impact of the wing of the aircraft that hit it and there was some damage to the wing as well.

“The passengers received a jolt as the aircraft was brought to a halt suddenly. Luckily, it was moving very slowly,” he said.