Kochi:
In another air incident at Kochi airport, the tail of an Abu Dhabi-bound Air India Express Boeing plane with 190 passengers on board tipped the runway. After being airborne for 90 minutes the plane finally returned to Kochi.
According to an Air India spokesperson, the pilots informed Air Traffic Control (ATC) after they came to know about the tail problem and sought permission to return. Permission was granted and the aircraft returned to Kochi.
The aircraft also jettisoned fuel before landing and was declared AOG (Aircraft on Ground).
The two pilots of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft have been derostered following the incident, an Air India spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The incident which occurred on Sunday night, came to light on Tuesday. The incident occurred hours before a Gulf Air flight from Bahrain skidded off the runway at Kochi airport on Monday. The Gulf Air flight had 137 passengers and a six-member crew on board. Seven persons were injured in the Gulf Air incident.