The emergency landing of a 21-year- old Airbus A320 aircraft of Air India in a close shave for 159 people on board here yesterday brought to the fore concerns raised by pilots that these “lethal snag-prone” aging planes endangered passenger safety.
As the incident triggered a debate over passenger safety, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today refuted allegations that Air India was operating “faulty” aircraft, saying yesterday’s incident of fire in a plane of the national carrier was not due to any “safety” issue.
More than 150 persons onboard the Air India flight from Varanasi had a close shave when one of the wheels of the Airbus A320 aircraft caught fire due to friction after it landed under emergency conditions at the Indira Gandhi International Airport(IGIA) here due to a hydraulic failure.
Upto five passengers received “minor” injuries during evacuation, according to airport sources.
“Practically, this was not a safety failure. This (the incident) was not practically fire but a hydraulic system leak after landing. The rim of the plane got heated up due to the oil leak and some fuel,” Sharma, the minister of state for civil aviation, said.
08/09/15 PTI/The Financial Express
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As the incident triggered a debate over passenger safety, Union Minister Mahesh Sharma today refuted allegations that Air India was operating “faulty” aircraft, saying yesterday’s incident of fire in a plane of the national carrier was not due to any “safety” issue.
More than 150 persons onboard the Air India flight from Varanasi had a close shave when one of the wheels of the Airbus A320 aircraft caught fire due to friction after it landed under emergency conditions at the Indira Gandhi International Airport(IGIA) here due to a hydraulic failure.
Upto five passengers received “minor” injuries during evacuation, according to airport sources.
“Practically, this was not a safety failure. This (the incident) was not practically fire but a hydraulic system leak after landing. The rim of the plane got heated up due to the oil leak and some fuel,” Sharma, the minister of state for civil aviation, said.
08/09/15 PTI/The Financial Express
