Tamil Nadu: Trichy District Collector praises Air India pilots for saving lives of passengers

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Following a technical issue with an Air India Express flight from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah, Trichy District Collector Pradeep Kumar said that officials worked with the airport authority and air traffic control to assist the aircraft after it encountered a landing problem.

Speaking to ANI on Friday, Kumar he mentioned that the pilot played a crucial role in ensuring the safety of the passengers.

"There was a landing issue in the flight. Once the landing issue was identified, we were in touch with the airport authority and the air traffic signal. They had contacted the pilot and it was confirmed that there would be a 90 per cent chance of a safe landing. From the point of the District Administration, we took the safety measures and were fully prepared."

"We had around 18 ambulances and doctors teams at the airport. We had mobilized the doctors team in and around Trichy. I want to congratulate the pilots on saving the lives of the passengers," he said to ANI.

As per visuals the aircraft pilots - Iqrom Rifadly, Fahmi Zainal and co-pilot Maitryee Shrikrishna Shitole were seen leaving from the Tiruchirapalli airport.

On October 11, MoS Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said a big accident was prevented due to proper coordination between the pilot, ATC and Airport Director.

Mohol said, "A flight of Air India Express going from Trichy Airport to Sharjah, had to be landed back at Trichy airport due to hydraulic failure. It took two hours to land because the pilots wanted to reduce the fuel so the aircraft flew in the air for two hours at a height of about 4000 feet. Later it landed safely. Today, 150 people including the pilot crew and migrants, all landed safely and a big accident was averted here due to coordination between the pilot, ATC and Airport Director."

After the plane touched down at Tiruchirapalli airport on Friday evening, all 140 passengers on the Air India Express flight from Tiruchirapalli to Sharjah were reported safe. The plane had a mechanical issue and circled for over two hours before coming to a stop. The aircraft was grounded and an investigation was ordered by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the landing.

On Friday at 5:30 p.m., Air India Express Flight 613 took off from Tiruchirapalli and ran into a landing gear problem. After circling the city to reduce fuel, the aircraft made a safe landing at approximately 8:15 p.m. An alternate aircraft was arranged for the passengers, ANI reported.

(With Inputs from ANI)