Updates: Air India Express flight lands safely after facing mid-air snag near Trichy Airport

The Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah flight had 144 passengers on board (NDTV)

NDTV News, October 11 — An Air India Express flight which reported a hydraulic failure shortly after take-off from the Tiruchirappalli airport in Tamil Nadu has landed safely.

The flight, AXB 613, which was headed to Sharjah with 144 passengers on board, had taken off at 5.40 pm. After the snag was reported, the plane was asked to turn back, but because it was not advisable to attempt a precautionary landing with full fuel on board, the pilots burned some of it by flying around on a set path some distance from Tiruchirappalli.

The plane remained airborne for over two and a half hours, finally landing at 8.15 pm to cheers and clapping from passengers.

Reports about a possible problem with the landing gear began trickling in around 7.50 pm and the Tiruchirappalli airport made preparations for an emergency landing, keeping several ambulances on standby 

Sources said the pilot remained in constant communication with Air Traffic Control and permission was granted for a belly landing if needed, but a successful normal landing was carried out instead. A video showed the aircraft touching down with its landing gear properly engaged. 

An internal investigation has been launched to figure out the possible causes of the snag, the sources said.

Airport authorities had said around 8 pm that the plane was hovering around Tiruchirappalli to burn fuel and, according to flight tracking website Flightadar24, the flight was in the same general area for about two hours.