Air India Express safely lands after aborted approach at Chennai, 180 passengers safe

An Air India Express flight from Singapore carrying 180 passengers aborted its landing at Chennai airport on Wednesday due to an unstabilised approach caused by a high descent rate and sudden crosswinds.

The Airbus was scheduled to land at 10:15 am but descended to as low as 200 feet before the pilots initiated a go-around maneuver. After circling the airport, the flight safely landed on its second attempt, causing a delay of nearly 30 minutes.

Officials from the Airport Authority of India (AAI) confirmed the aborted landing, attributing it to an unstabilised approach at the St Thomas Mount end of the runway. A source familiar with the incident explained, “A safe landing requires a controlled descent rate, correct speed, and alignment. In this case, the descent was too steep, and there was a sudden shift in wind speed.”

This incident has raised concerns about landing safety at Chennai airport, which has seen similar events recently. In October last year, an Indigo flight from Jaipur had to perform a touch-and-go landing due to comparable issues.

Despite the aborted approach, all passengers and crew were reported safe, and no injuries occurred during the event. The incident highlights the challenges pilots face with sudden weather changes and the importance of strict adherence to landing protocols to ensure passenger safety.

An Air India Express flight carrying 180 passengers aborted its landing at Chennai airport due to a high descent rate and sudden crosswinds. The Airbus safely landed on a second attempt after circling the airport, with no injuries reported and a delay of nearly 30 minutes.