A recent Air India Express
flight bound for Sharjah had to return to Tiruchirappalli almost 2.5 hours after departure after the landing gear failed to retract shortly after takeoff. IX613 had departed from Tiruchirappalli on October 11 with over 150 passengers and crew onboard.
Unable to retract aircraft’s landing gear
Air India Express was operating a short international flight on Friday, October 11, between Tiruchirappalli International Airport (TRZ) and Sharjah International Airport
(SHJ). Scheduled to depart at 17:40, the flight was marginally late on pushback at 17:43. The Boeing 737-800
operating the flight conducted its departure as per standard procedure from Tiruchirappalli’s runway 09 T.
After takeoff, the flight initially climbed when the crew reported experiencing mechanic issues and that they could not retract the aircraft’s landing gear due to a hydraulic system failure. The climb was terminated at this point and remained at an altitude of around 4,000 feet, and the aircraft moved into a holding procedure to explore troubleshooting checks. After two sustained periods of holding to aid in burning fuel, it was decided to return to Tiruchirappalli.
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Landing back in Tiruchirappalli on runway 27
The aircraft landed back at Tiruchirappalli on runway 27 approximately 2.5 hours after its initial departure. According to the Times of India, emergency crews were on standby as a matter of caution. The Indian aviation regulator, DGCA, is now involved and will conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the aircraft’s hydraulic system failure. Following the incident, Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Aviation Minister, shared this statement:
“The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been instructed to conduct a thorough examination of the aircraft to determine the exact cause of the hydraulic issue. In the meantime, Air India Express has been advised to provide all necessary assistance to the passengers, including alternate arrangements for their onward journey.”
The flight was operated by a 15.3-year-old Boeing 737-800, registered VT-AYB and serial number 36338. The aircraft has been with the airline since its delivery to Air India Express on July 28, 2009. It has a special livery, with its tail depicting a white tiger and spotted deer. It can accommodate up to 186 passengers in an all-economy class configuration.
The second time an incident has occurred with the aircraft
This is not the first time the aircraft has made the headlines; back in September 2017, the aircraft suffered a taxiway excursion, falling into a concrete water drain at Cochin International Airport. The excursion resulted in the aircraft’s nose gear collapsing, and it remained out of service until March 2018.
Robust network of Indian flights to Sharjah
Air India Express operates a robust network of international services with its narrowbody aircraft to and from Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates from Amritsar, Delhi, Indore, Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Surat, Thiruvananthapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Varanasi, and Vijayawada. Other competitors for the Sharjah to India market include Air Arabia
and IndiGo
, which both serve several different Indian routes.
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