Air India flight with over 180 passengers’ skids on runway at Kozhikode airport, rescue operation started

Kozhikode: An Air India Express flight with 180 passengers on board route from Dubai skidded off the runway while landing at Kerala’s Kozhikode on Friday evening, television news channels reported. There have been two casualties so far but 40 passengers are believed to be injured, according to preliminary reports.

The Air India Express flight was about to land when the accident happened. After overshooting the runway, the aircraft broke into several pieces. The incident took place amid very heavy rainfall in the area around 7:38 pm. There were 180 passengers including crew members on board the flight.

The Kozhikkode airport is a tabletop airport like the one in Mangaluru. A local MLA TV Ibrahim said that many passengers have been admitted in hospital with injuries and luckily the plane did not catch fire.

The Air India Express plane allegedly fell into a 30 feet deep gorge, while landing at the Karipur Airport in Kozhikode. Rescue operations are underway. More details are awaited.