TIRUPATI: As many as 160 passengers on board an Air India flight (Airbus-320) from Tirupati to New Delhi via Hyderabad had a miraculous escape after one of its tyres burst at the Renigunta airport here Monday afternoon.
According to official sources, the authorities noticed the deflated tyre when the flight was about to take off around 1.45 p.m. The passengers were asked to disembark and wait till alternative arrangements were made. Among the passengers was Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams chief priest A V Ramana Dikshithulu.
The authorities immediately informed higher-ups in New Delhi who took up the issue with officials in Hyderabad. At about 5.30 p.m., another Air India flight brought spare tyres and engineers from Hyderabad via Chennai.
The defective tyre was replaced and the Airbus was tested.
The stranded passengers heaved a sigh of relief as the flight finally took off around 7 p.m.
However, 21 passengers chose to cancel their tickets and five others left by other flights. An engineer who replaced the defective tyre, said, "Low pressure in tyres poses a threat to the flight. Had this not been detected in time, the fight would have run into trouble at the time of landing at the Hyderabad airport. The deflation of the tyre occurred after the flight landed in Tirupati. Had it happened before, the landing would have been risky.”
The flight had earlier come from New Delhi to Tirupati via Hyderabad.