Chennai, Aug 10 (IANS) An Air India flight travelling from Thiruvananthapuram in direction of Delhi, carrying a number of senior political leaders, was pressured to make an emergency touchdown at Chennai airport late on Sunday, following a suspected radar malfunction.

Flight AI 2455, which took off from Thiruvananthapuram, had amongst its passengers, 4 MPs from Kerala — Congress Basic Secretary Okay.C. Venugopal, UDF Convenor Adoor Prakash, senior Congress chief Kodikunnil Suresh, and Okay. Radhakrishnan — together with Tamil Nadu MP Robert Bruce.

Talking to media individuals quickly after touchdown, Okay.C. Venugopal described the ordeal as a “slim escape from a serious mishap”.

He mentioned, “There was a radar challenge within the plane, which pressured the crew to make an emergency touchdown. We had been within the air for about one hour and ten minutes earlier than touchdown. I’ve already knowledgeable the Director Basic of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in regards to the matter.”

Including to the priority, passengers reported that because the plane approached for touchdown, one other airplane was current on the runway, making a doubtlessly harmful state of affairs.

Based on Adoor Prakash, the pilots needed to make a sudden resolution to abort the touchdown.

“We had been about to the touch down once we noticed one other plane on the runway. The airplane instantly climbed once more and circled within the air for round half an hour earlier than making a protected touchdown. The crew dealt with the state of affairs professionally,” he mentioned.

Whereas all passengers had been protected, the incident has raised questions on air site visitors coordination and the potential threat of a runway incursion.

Sources indicated {that a} technical snag within the plane’s radar system was the preliminary motive for the diversion, however the presence of one other plane on the runway in the course of the first touchdown try compounded the seriousness of the state of affairs.

Airport officers haven’t but launched a proper assertion.

The DGCA is anticipated to analyze each the technical malfunction and the sequence of occasions that led to the aborted touchdown.

(This report has been printed as a part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Other than the headline, no modifying has been carried out within the copy by ABP Dwell.)