KOCHI: Panic spread at Cochin International Airport (CIAL) at Nedumbassery on Friday evening as an International flight from Jeddah bound for Calicut sought permission for an emergency landing.
The airport management swung into action and a full emergency was declared at the airport at 6.29 pm. Fire and Rescue service and ambulances were put on standby and an alert was sent to hospitals to handle an emergency situation. After around two hours of anxiety, the flight landed safely at 7.19 pm.
According to the airport authorities, Spice Jet SG - 036 which was on its way from Jeddah to Kozhikode airport reported a hydraulic failure which necessitated an emergency landing. There were 197 people on board the flight including 188 passengers, 3 children two pilots and four crew members.
The airport staff, security agencies and the passengers heaved a sigh of relief as the aircraft landed safely at 7.19 pm. The emergency was withdrawn subsequently.
The passengers were shifted to the terminal and Spice Jet announced flight no SG 17 from Dubai to Kozhikode will arrive in Kochi and transport the passengers to Kozhikode.
"Following the alert we had made all arrangements and were fully prepared to face any an emergency situation. The alerting system was activated and all services were put on stand by. As the aircraft landed safely, the emergency was withdrawn and the runway was handed over for normal operations after due inspection," said CIAL MD S Suhas.
In July 2022, an Air Arabia flight with 222 passengers from Sharjah had made an emergency landing at Kochi airport under similar circumstances. The flight number G9-246 had reported a hydraulic failure.