Bhubaneswar: The Air India (AI) flight which spent close to an hour and a half over the City on Sunday night was loaded with fuel which prompted the pilot to fly continuously at a lower altitude to lose the extra weight and avoid a hard landing.
The flight made at least eight circles over the City at a lower altitude as it consumes more fuel than when the aircraft is cruising.
The mid-night exercise, however, left the 161 passengers anxious though it was carried out to ensure a smooth landing, sources said.
The AI flight had left Bhubaneswar at about 10.40 pm but was refused entry into Delhi airspace and had to return from near Agra.
Sources in the Biju Patnaik Airport said the pilot had loaded a couple of more tonnes of aviation fuel before taking off from the City since he was anticipating a delay in getting landing permission at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport where low visibility caused by dense fog has led to serious disruption in operations. When the Air India flight reached Bhubaneswar airspace, it still had on board extra fuel which needed to be exhausted for a smooth landing.
However, the repeated circling over the City left the passengers panicked who had no clue what was happening. After its landing well past 1 am, the passengers were shifted to hotels and flown to Delhi at about 3.30 pm on Monday, more than 14 hours after the return.
07/01/14 New Indian Express
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The flight made at least eight circles over the City at a lower altitude as it consumes more fuel than when the aircraft is cruising.
The mid-night exercise, however, left the 161 passengers anxious though it was carried out to ensure a smooth landing, sources said.
The AI flight had left Bhubaneswar at about 10.40 pm but was refused entry into Delhi airspace and had to return from near Agra.
Sources in the Biju Patnaik Airport said the pilot had loaded a couple of more tonnes of aviation fuel before taking off from the City since he was anticipating a delay in getting landing permission at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport where low visibility caused by dense fog has led to serious disruption in operations. When the Air India flight reached Bhubaneswar airspace, it still had on board extra fuel which needed to be exhausted for a smooth landing.
However, the repeated circling over the City left the passengers panicked who had no clue what was happening. After its landing well past 1 am, the passengers were shifted to hotels and flown to Delhi at about 3.30 pm on Monday, more than 14 hours after the return.
07/01/14 New Indian Express
