Rahul flight safely lands after scare

An Air India flight carrying Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had to abandon its first landing attempt at Lucknow airport on Tuesday after gusty winds affected landing conditions, before touching down safely on a second attempt minutes later.

Air India flight AI-1717, operating from Delhi to Lucknow, initiated a go-around at around 3:45 pm, after the flight crew assessed the weather conditions and decided not to proceed with the initial landing.

The aircraft circled before making another approach and landed safely at approximately 3:55 pm, sources said.

All passengers were able to disembark normally after the aircraft reached the terminal. There were no immediate reports of any injuries or disruption among those on board.

A go-around is a standard aviation procedure in which pilots discontinue an approach when landing conditions are not considered suitable and make another attempt once it is safe to do so.

Air India has not issued an official statement on the incident so far.