Snag forces Odisha-bound AI flight to land in Lucknow

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar/Lucknow, May 19:

Air India flight AI 873 on its way to the Odisha capital made an emergency landing at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow after a crack was detected in the windshield of the plane midair.

File Pic Courtesy: www.planespotters.net)
File Pic Courtesy: www.planespotters.net)

All 169 passengers on board are safe, said a senior official of Biju Patnaik Airport of Bhubaneswar. “All passengers and crew members are safe. The glitch has been identified and engineers are working on it. They would travel as soon as the maintenance work is over,” the official said.

“Alternative travel arrangements would be made should the maintenance take a long time,” he added.

The Airbus 321 started its flight from New Delhi at 11:30 AM and was in the airspace over Khajuraho when the pilot noticed the glitch and contacted the air traffic control at the Lucknow airport. After necessary clearance, the flight landed at the Lucknow airport at 12.30 pm. The flight was scheduled to land at the Biju Patnaik airport in Bhubaneswar at 1.30 pm.

CEO, Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA) Limited, Subhrakanta Panda, who was in the flight tweeted, “Air India flight to Bhubaneswar diverted to Lucknow due to a cracked windshield. First emergency diversion in all my years of flying. Just caught a glimpse. It was hardly a crack and more like a shattered windshield! Have to commend pilots for cool, professional approach”.

 

 

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