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The aircraft, operating as Flight IX 398, was diverted to Kochi after the problem was detected mid-flight. Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) said it facilitated the landing in full emergency conditions, with the aircraft touching down safely at 9.07 am. All emergency services were activated early, and there were no injuries to passengers or crew.
According to CIAL, post-landing inspection confirmed that both tires of the right main landing gear had burst. The runway was later cleared and left for normal operations with no disruption to scheduled flights.
Air India Express said the plane was diverted and made a precautionary landing due to fears that a foreign object might have damaged the plane’s tires on the runway at Jeddah airport. The airline said there were no problems with the landing gear and clarified that only the tires were affected. It also said that the landing was precautionary, given that Kozhikode’s Karipur airport is a tabletop airport.
An Air India Express spokesperson said, “The aircraft landed safely in Kochi, and all guests are being connected to Kozhikode by road. We regret the inconvenience caused and reiterate that safety is our top priority.”
Earlier, CIAL had described the landing as an emergency landing due to a technical issue involving the failure of the right main landing gear and tyre, reiterating that all safety protocols were followed and no injuries were reported.
Separately, a few days earlier, on December 12, the tail portion of an IndiGo plane was hit while landing at Ranchi airport. A Bhubaneswar-Ranchi flight carrying around 70 passengers suffered a setback when the tail portion of the plane touched the runway, but all the passengers were safe.
Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said the plane was later found technically unfit to take off, due to which its next flight to Bhubaneswar was cancelled. Some passengers canceled their trips, others rescheduled, and some were diverted by road.
(with inputs from agencies)