Over 100 passengers and six crew members on board an Air India Express flight from Abu Dhabi escaped unhurt early Tuesday morning when the aircraft veered off the taxiway after landing at the Kochi International Airport at Nedumbassery.
“All (102) passengers and crew members were evacuated using ladder. All are safe and there are no casualties,” said a source from the airport company, Cochin International Airport limited. The CIAl will hold an internal inquiry into the accident and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation also will hold a comprehensive probe.
The nose-wheel of the Boeing 787-800 aircraft collapsed after it veered off the taxi way. The incident occurred when the Abu Dhabi-Kochi Air India Express flight IX 452 was moving towards the parking bay from the taxiway after landing at the airport at 2.39 AM Tuesday.
Reports said that the plane had taken a turn into the parking bay 50 meters before the point meant for it. It is also said that poor visibility due to heavy rains could have led to the incident. The plane’s nose wheel collapsed after veering off and its engines hit the ground in the accident.
The flights’ landing had been delayed a bit due to heavy rains and passengers said they had experienced a ‘bumpy feeling’ after landing. As the plane’s luggage carrier could not be opened, the authorities promised the passengers that arrangements would be made for reaching them to places where they wanted.
As the accident occurred away from the runway, air traffic from and to the Nedumbassery airport had not been affected. The damaged aircraft would be removed from the accident spot only after Air India Express’s safety authorities and technical experts arrived.