Air India flight to Paris safely returns to Delhi over runway debris sighting
Paris-bound Air India flight returns to Delhi after suspected tyre debris found on runway.
Air India Flight AI143, en route from Delhi to Paris, returned to Delhi shortly after take-off on Friday. The decision was made following information from the Delhi Air Traffic Control (ATC) about suspected tyre debris sighted on the runway after departure.
The flight safely landed back in Delhi at 2.18 pm, an Air India spokesperson said.
“Flight AI143 operating Delhi-Paris on 28 July 2023 air-returned shortly after take-off, following the Delhi ATC’s information to flight crew about suspected tyre debris sighted on the runway after departure. The flight safely landed back at Delhi at 1418hrs," Air India spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement added that aircraft AI143 is undergoing essential safety checks in Delhi and the airline is making alternate arrangements to ensure that all passengers reach their destinations without further delays.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to passengers, but as always, safety of all on board is Air India’s foremost priority,” the spokesperson added.
According to PTI, citing sources, the aircraft, which had more than 200 passengers onboard, apparently suffered a tyre burst and that there were the plane.
Tyre disruptions have been posing increasing disruptions of flight services. Earlier in the month, a Kochi-bound SpiceJet flight's tyre burst at the time of landing on July 4. The SG-17 flight which was coming from Dubai reached the Kochi airport safely despite the tyre burst.
READ HERE: Dubai-Kochi SpiceJet flight suffers tyre bust during landing, no casualties
An MS643 EgyptAir jetliner, which took off from Cairo international airport on May 28, upon landing at King Abdulaziz International Airport in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, blew out a tyre. However, no casualties were reported.
In an other incident, DGCA has imposed a penalty of ₹30 lakh on IndiGo due to four tail strikes incidents in a time period of six months.
A tail strike occurs when the tail or empennage of an aircraft hits the ground or any other stationary object during take-off or landing.
DGCA carried out a special audit of Indigo airlines, and reported “certain systemic deficiencies” in the airline documentation pertaining to operations/training procedures and engineering procedures.
READ HERE: Indigo tail strikes: DGCA fines airline ₹30 lakh for ‘systemic deficiencies’
(Inputs from wire)