Sharjah-bound Air India flight lands safely in Trichy after mid-air scare

A Sharjah-bound Air India Express flight landed safely at Tiruchirappalli airport on Friday evening after a mid-air technical issue prompted the aircraft to circle over the airport before making a precautionary landing.
Flight IX613, which had taken off for Sharjah, hovered over Trichy airspace for over an hour, burning off excess fuel before making a precautionary landing.
“The Air India Express Flight IX 613 from Tiruchirapalli to Sharjah has landed safely at Tiruchirapalli airport. DGCA was monitoring the situation. The landing gear was opening. The flight has landed normally. The airport was put on alert mode,” the civil aviation ministry said in a statement.
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In response to earlier reports of an emergency, an Air India Express spokesperson clarified, “We are aware of media reports related to an Air India Express flight operating on the Tiruchirappalli-Sharjah route. We would like to clarify that no emergency was declared by the operating crew.”
The spokesperson explained that the aircraft circled the airspace as a precaution to reduce fuel and weight before landing, due to runway length considerations.
“After reporting a technical snag, the aircraft circled multiple times in the designated area as an abundant precaution before making a safe precautionary landing,” the spokesperson said. “The cause of the snag will be duly investigated. In the interim, an alternative aircraft is being arranged for the onward journey of our guests.”
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The Trichy airport director said that the pilot had alerted ground control about the hydraulic failure, according to India Today.
Local authorities had assured there was no immediate cause for concern.
“It is currently circling around the airspace to empty the fuel. As a precautionary measure, we have kept ambulances and rescue teams on standby,” India Today quoted the District Collector as saying.
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Flight tracking website flightradar24.com showed the aircraft looping over Tiruchirappalli as it awaited clearance to land.
To ensure safety, over 20 ambulances and fire tenders were kept on standby at the airport, said Airport Director Gopalakrishnan.
“I am heartened to hear that the #AirIndiaExpress flight has landed safely,” Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin posted on X. “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.”
With inputs from agencies