A major aviation mishap was narrowly averted at Jubbarhatti Airport on Monday morning when an Alliance Air flight (9I821) from Delhi to Shimla, carrying 44 passengers including Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and DGP Atul Verma, faced a brake malfunction during landing.

Due to a technical glitch, the aircraft nearly overshot the runway, forcing the pilots to apply emergency brakes at the last moment. The ATR-42 aircraft managed to halt just before the runway’s edge, preventing a catastrophic accident, but the abrupt braking burst one of its tyres. 

Passengers were reportedly alerted to the issue before the emergency landing, and the aircraft has now been grounded for inspection. “The runway is small, and the plane didn’t land where it was supposed to,” Agnihotri later stated, acknowledging the incident. 

Local authorities immediately cancelled the next scheduled flight to Dharamshala as a precaution. Meanwhile, Alliance Air has temporarily halted three flights on the route for further safety checks. Engineers are currently investigating the cause of the malfunction, while officials confirm that the aircraft had passed routine inspections before takeoff.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, during his interaction with media, said that he would take up the matter with the Union Civil Aviation Ministry regarding technical issues at Shimla Airport. “We will soon engage with the concerned authorities to ensure smooth air connectivity to the capital city,” he said.