An Air India Express flight, which was bound for Saudi Arabia, made an emergency landing at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport after a crack was detected on its windshield, officials said.
The plane, which took off from Thiruvananthapuram at 7.52 am today, headed back to the airport within an hour after pilots noticed a crack in the windshield. The aircraft made the emergency landing at 8.50 am, an official said adding that it only carried cargo and did not have any passengers onboard.
According to officials, the plane was heading to Dammam and was scheduled to fly Indian citizens from Saudi Arabia to India on its return, as part of the ‘Vande Bharat Mission’.
All the crew members, including the pilots, are safe, C V Ravindran, the Director of Thiruvananthapuram Airport, told PTI.
He also said that had the crack been detected in the pre-flight check, the plane would not have taken off and therefore, it must have happened during take-off or while cruising.
(With PTI inputs)
