

About seven Air India passengers sustained minor injuries during an evacuation operation carried out following an emergency landing in Delhi airport on Monday.

The A320 aircraft which operated the flight AI 405 from Varanasi with 146 passengers onboard developed a hydraulic problem enroute, said an airline official. "Though it landed safely at 7.55 pm, the landing was a particularly rough one and smoke was seen emanating from the undercarriage after the aircraft came to a halt" the official added. "One of the wheel had caught fire," he added.

Keeping with flight safety norms, the commander opted for an emergency evacuation. "A number of passengers panicked and in the rush to evacuate the aircraft, 5-7 passengers sustained injuries," said an airport official. According to initial reports, the passenger injuries were minor in nature.

Delhi International Airport Pvt Ltd spokesperson confirmed the incident, adding that fire engines were on standby and emergency services were provided soon after the flight landed. At the time of going to the press, AI was yet to issue a statement.

The incident brought to fore the problems cash-starved AI has been facing because of its aging A320 fleet. Airline sources pointed out that like most of the other A320s in its fleet, the said aircraft (VT ESI) was over 20 years old. "The airline should have phased out these old A320s. They have been facing several engineering problems," the source added.

