08 September, 2018

Air India crew of brand new A320neo land on wrong runway that was under construction at Male, Maldives

An investigation is underway into why the crew of an Air India Airbus A320neo landed on an unfinished runway at Malé Velana International Airport in the Maldives on 7th September.

The aircraft, registration VT-EXL, was operating flight AI263 from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport with 136 passengers onboard at the time of the incident. During the landing on the unfinished runway that was still under construction at least one tyre in the main gear deflated and there was some damage to the aircraft's braking systems. Following the landing, the aircraft had to be towed to a parking stand where all passengers disembarked safely. 

The flight deck crew of the aircraft have been grounded pending results of the investigation which is being carried out by officials from both the Maldives and India. 





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