india

Updated: May 09, 2019 00:45 IST

A “full emergency” was declared on board a Delhi-bound Singapore Airlines flight with 228 passengers on board after the pilots detected a technical glitch in the front wheel of the aircraft. Singapore Airlines flight SQ 406 landed safely at the Delhi airport on Wednesday evening but the jet had to be towed away, due to which the runway was closed for about 18 minutes, delaying some flights, a Delhi airport official aware of the development said.

Airport officials, who did not want to be identified, said that at around 8pm, the pilots on flight SQ 406 detected a glitch in the nose wheel and alerted the Delhi air traffic control (ATC) officials, who then provided a priority landing slot. The flight landed at runway 28 at around 8.20 pm.

A passenger on the flight, who did not want to identified, said that the pilot also announced that the aircraft had lost its steering capacity. “We were all set to land but the flight started to ascend… We were all scared. The flight made another attempt to land and did so with a jerk. We were asked to be prepare for a hard landing. The aircraft stopped in the middle of the runway and had to be towed away,” the passenger said.

The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport, said in a statement, “There was some technical issue with the front wheel of the aircraft. We had made all the possible arrangements and fire tenders along with medical team were kept on standby to tackle any emergency condition.”

As the plane landed, it said, all the crew members and passengers on board were marked safe. “However, the aircraft had to be towed away from the runway. Runway clearance took 18 minutes from 8.20 pm to 8.38 pm,” DIAL said.

The runway was again made available for flight operations from 8.45 pm, it added. The aircraft was docked at the parking stand by 8.49 pm and the emergency was called off at 8.50 pm.

ATC officials, however, said that the closure of the runway for 18 minutes delayed some departing flights. “Since the wheel of the aircraft had come out in time, there was not much impact on flights getting delayed. Runway 28 was being used for departures. Some flights ready to depart had to be put on hold until the runway was cleared. The lag is expected to be normal by late [Wednesday] night when the frequency of departures is lower,” the official, who did not want to be named, said.

The number of flights affected by the incident was not available with the DIAL till the time this report went to press.