LUCKNOW: While the country is still reeling from the shock of the Ahmedabad air crash, smoke was detected emanating from the left-side wheels of a Saudi aircraft with over 250 passengers on board, besides the crew, after it landed at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport from Jeddah on Sunday.
The Saudia Airlines flight from Jeddah sparked a brief scare after smoke was seen coming from the aircraft's wheels shortly after the landing of Flight SV 312.
The ground staff immediately called in the Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team, which worked in tandem with the Saudi technical crew. The emergency response team managed to contain the smoke before it could cause any damage to the aircraft.
The flight was scheduled to return to Jeddah on Monday evening. The ARFF team responded promptly and worked with the Saudia crew to control the situation, successfully containing the smoke and preventing any damage to the aircraft.
All passengers on board, mostly Haj pilgrims, were safely deboarded, and airport operations continued without disruption. The Haj pilgrims were returning home after performing the pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia between June 4 and June 9.
According to a source, the smoke was caused by a minor hydraulic oil leakage in the landing gear.
Later, airport authorities confirmed that all passengers were safely disembarked and that there was no disruption to regular flight operations. According to officials, no injuries were reported in the incident.
However, an official inquiry into the cause of the smoke has been ordered.