Air India Express flight from Jeddah to Kozhikode makes precautionary landing at Cochin airport

Kochi: A Kozhikode-bound Air India Express flight with 160 passengers made a "precautionary" landing at the airport here on Thursday due to issues involving the aircraft's tyres, an airline official said.

An Air India Express spokesperson said that the Jeddah-Kozhikode flight was diverted to the Cochin International Airport and "made a precautionary landing due to suspected damage to the aircraft’s tyre likely caused by a foreign object on the runway at Jeddah airport".

"The aircraft landed safely in Kochi, and all guests are being connected to Kozhikode by road. We regret the inconvenience caused and reiterate that safety remains our highest priority in every aspect of our operations," the spokesperson added.

He also said that only the tyres burst and there were no issues with the landing gears.

"Also it is not an emergency landing. It is a precautionary landing to Kochi as Karipur is a table top airport," the official said.

Earlier, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), in a statement, said that it successfully facilitated the "safe emergency landing" of Air India Express flight IX 398 from Jeddah to Kozhikode, which was diverted to Kochi due to a technical issue involving the right main landing gear and tyre failure.

The aircraft landed safely at 9.07 am under full emergency conditions, it said.

"All emergency services were activated in advance, and there were no injuries reported among passengers or crew. Post-landing inspection confirmed that both right-side tyres had burst," a CIAL spokesperson said in the statement.

Subsequently, the runway was cleared and released for operations, the statement added.