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Air India plane skids and damages runway after reports of three burst tyres

Air India plane skids and damages runway after reports of three burst tyres

Independent2 days ago
An Air India Airbus A320 veered off the runway at Mumbai International Airport on Monday while landing during heavy rain, damaging the underside of one of its engines and briefly shutting the runway.
All passengers and crew from Air India flight AI2744, which had flown from Kochi, have since disembarked. The airline did not confirm if anyone was injured.
The Mumbai airport said in a statement there were "minor damages reported to the airport's primary runway" due to what it described as a "runway excursion", and a secondary runway had been activated to ensure operational continuity.
The aircraft has been grounded for checks, Air India added.
A Times of India report, citing sources, said three tyres had burst on the aircraft after the landing. TV footage from NDTV and India Today showed the outer casing of the engine damaged, with some apparent cracks.
Air India has come under intense scrutiny after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad last month, killing 260 people.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said earlier this month it plans to investigate its budget airline, Air India Express, after Reuters reported the carrier did not follow a directive to change engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner and falsified records to show compliance.
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