New Delhi: National carrier Air India has derostered two of its pilots following an incident of hard landing at the Mumbai airport.
The tail section of an Airbus 321 plane, flying to Mumbai from Mangalore with 194 people on board, scraped on the ground before coming to a halt on the runway last Sunday. Confirming the incident to NDTV, a senior official explained, "It was not a major issue as the plane had almost landed when this happened. However, we have taken the pilots off flying duty until they are cleared by the DGCA."
India's aviation regulator, Director General of Civil Aviation or DGCA, is inquiring into the incident. If the pilots are found to be at fault, sources say they will have to undergo a refresher course and would have to be certified by a senior examiner before they are allowed to fly again.
Airline sources say that there has been considerable damage to the aircraft and the airline has already asked the European manufacturer Airbus Industries to repair the tail section.