TIRUCHY: More than 170 passengers were stranded at Tiruchy International Airport on Wednesday after a technical snag was detected on a Sharjah-bound Air India Express flight (IX613), which was scheduled to depart at 4.25 am.
According to airport sources, the pilots noticed the snag a few minutes after the aircraft took off from the runway. The pilots immediately informed the control tower that they would return, and the flight was brought back safely to the runway.
Following protocol, all 176 passengers were deboarded about an hour later. They were taken to the waiting hall, where refreshments were provided, airport authorities said.
Meanwhile, a technical team attended to the aircraft to fix the issue. Airport officials said the flight was rescheduled to depart at 2.30 pm on Wednesday.