A SriLankan Airlines flight carrying 240 passengers on board averted a major mishap after it hit a few runway lights while landing at the Cochin International Airport on Sunday, May 27. Fortunately, all the 228 passengers and 12 crew members on the flight were reported safe.
The SriLankan Airlines flight number UL-167 which departed from Colombo, Srilanka was on its way to Cochin, Kerala. While landing, the aircraft hit a few ground lights as it was caught in crosswinds due to heavy rains that lashed several parts of Kerala on Sunday, May 27th.
The flight had landed one meter away from the designated path due to strong crosswinds, the Press Trust of India reported.
The incident reportedly took place at 3:55 pm Indian Standard Time (IST). After getting caught in crosswinds, the Airbus had "veered toward the runway edge and damaged a few ground lights while landing," IANS reported. The plane, however, landed safely and was taken to its designated taxi bay.
"Due to the ambient conditions, strong winds and heavy rain, the aircraft veered toward the runway edge and caused damage to some ground lights. The flight landed safely with no injuries to passengers or crew. There was minor damage to two lights on the runway." the airline released a statement after the incident.
The airport runway was closed for 50 minutes and a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai was diverted following the incident, PTI reported.
In a similar incident that took place in April this year, the wing of a Jet Airways aircraft hit a parked food truck at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Aiport. A major accident was averted and all the passengers were reported safe.
The Jet Airways flight which had departed from Dubai, United Arab Emirates had landed at Terminal-3 of the IGI airport at around 8:00 pm IST. While it was proceeding toward its designated parking area, the right wing of the flight collided with a catering vehicle of Taj Sats, which was parked in the nearby lane.
