The Air India Express aircraft split into two after the mishap at Kozhikode airport on Friday.
Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan on Sunday said the condition of at least 14 passengers of the ill-fated Air India Express flight remains critical, PTI reported. “Till now, 49 people have been discharged from various hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode. The condition of 14 people remains critical,” said Gopalakrishnan. The remaining 109 people are under treatment at different hospitals.
Eighteen people, including the pilot and co-pilot of the AIE flight from Dubai lost their lives, when it overshot the tabletop runway at the airport while landing in heavy rains and fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two portions on Friday night. Preliminary probe into the Air India Express plane crash in Kozhikode indicate poor weather conditions and a possible late touchdown as possible factors that led to the mishap. Early inputs from the airport and air traffic control officials indicate the aircraft touched down way beyond where it should have on the runway.
Mortal remains of Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, the co-pilot of the Air India Express plane, was cremated earlier on Sunday. The mortal remains of Captain Deepak Sathe, who was pilot-in-command of the ill-fated Air India Express plane that crashed in Kerala, were brought to Mumbai in a flight on Sunday afternoon. The funeral of Sathe (58), who was a resident of Mumbai’s Chandivali, will take place on August 11, a senior Air India official told PTI.
Also Read: List of other aircraft accidents that took place recently
HELPLINE NUMBERS: 0495-2376901 (Helpline number for relatives of passengers); 0483-2719493 (Control room number at Kozhikode airport); 0097165970303 (Control room number at Sharjah airport in UAE); 009710565463903 (Control room number at Dubai airport); 009710543090572 (Control room number at Dubai airport)
Pilots from various airlines pay respects to the mortal remains of Akhilesh Kumar, co-pilot of the ill-fated flight, at the Delhi airport on Sunday.
The condition of at least 14 passengers of the ill-fated Air India Express flight that crashed while attempting to land at the Karipur airport, remains critical, Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan said on Sunday.Eighteen people, including the pilot and co-pilot of the AIE flight from Dubai lost their lives, when it overshot the tabletop runway at the airport here while landing in heavy rains and fell into a valley 35 feet below and broke into two portions on Friday night."Till now, 49 people have been discharged from various hospitals in Malappuram and Kozhikode. The condition of 14 people remains critical," Gopalakrishnan told PTI. The remaining 109 people are under treatment at different hospitals. Eighteen people, including the pilot and the co-pilot, lost their lives in the plane crash. (PTI)
Taking to Twitter, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that he is glad to hear that the crucial first 10 minutes of the Kozhikodeair crash were well handled by CISF, alerting Control Room, ATC, Fire Wing, permitting helpful civilians to assist the evacuation team. "Hats off to the entire CISF team&their leaders for helping save hundreds of lives.", he added.
The investigation will continue and it will take some time before it is completed, said Air India Express said in a bulletin on Sunday.
"A standing ovation from our hearts to the PEOPLE OF MALAPPURAM, Kerala, who had showered us with kindness & humanity during the uncertain incident. We owe you a lot!", the Air India Express tweeted on Sunday. Despite the heavy rain and overcoming fears of the pandemic, hundreds of local residents rushed to where the Air India Express aircraft had finally come to rest, and few meters away from the Kozhikode airport’s runway in Karippur.
The Opposition Congress and BJP in Kerala Sunday trained their guns on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the "discrimination" in awarding solatium to the victims of landslide and aircraft crash and his "failure" to visit those affected in Idukki district. The state government had announced Rs five lakh solatium to the families of those who killed in the landslide and Rs 10 lakh to the next of kin of those who died in the plane crash. (PTI)
Mortal remains of Akhilesh Kumar Sharma, the co-pilot of the Air India Express plane that crashed in Kozhikode two days ago, were consigned to flames on Sunday. The last rites were performed at the Moksha Dham cremation centre and the pyre was lit by the pilot's younger brother Rahul as his family was inconsolable. The father of the deceased pilot, Tulsi Ram Sharma, sought a government job for Akhilesh's wife Megha, who is expecting a child shortly. Akhilesh deserves the status of a shaheed as he sacrificed his life to save people on the plane, he said. (PTI)
The mortal remains of Captain Deepak Sathe, who was pilot-in-command of the ill-fated Air India Express plane that crashed in Kerala, were brought in a flight on Sunday afternoon. The funeral of Sathe (58), who was a resident of suburban Chandivali in Mumbai, will take place on August 11, a senior Air India official told PTI. One of two sons of the Sathes will reach India from the USA on Monday night, he said.
The mortal remains were kept at the Air India facility near the Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport for some time before being taken to Bhabha hospital this afternoon. Sathe's wife Sushma and one of their sons accompanied the body.
Before leaving Dubai Friday noon, M Sharafudheen had ensured that his home in Kozhikode was stocked with provisions for a month — groceries in the cupboard, fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. The salesman was coming to Pilassery village, with his wife Amina Sherin and their two-year-old daughter Fathima Iza, after a year. Finally, before the flight took off, Sharafudheen posted a photograph on Facebook of the family inside the aircraft wearing face shields.
Hours later, the 35-year-old became one of the 18 who were killed after the Air India Express aircraft crashlanded at Kozhikode airport. On Saturday, Sharafudheen’s body was in the morgue of the district’s medical college. Fathima was in the ICU, a few hundred metres away. And Amina was fighting for life after undergoing an emergency surgery at a private hospital.
The mortal remains of Captain Deepak Sathe, who was pilot-in-command of the ill-fated Air India Express plane that crashed in Kerala, were brought in a flight on Sunday afternoon. The mortal remains were kept at the Air India facility near the Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji international airport for some time. Sathe's wife Sushma and their son were present. Pilots, crew of Air India and ground staff paid tributes to the late captain at the airport. (PTI)
Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Sunday demanded that Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri explain to the country the reasons for the Dubai-Kozhikode plane crash, and said anyone found responsible for the accident should be punished.
An Air India Express flight from Dubai with 190 peopleonboard overshot the runway at Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday and went down a slope before breaking into two. Choudhury, in a video message from New Delhi, said the department should form a high-powered committee to probe the plane crash, which claimed at least 18 lives. 'The committee must find out what led to the tragedy and punishment should be meted out to anyone found responsible... The minister should explain to the people of India what caused the accident and responsibility should be fixed,' Choudhury said.
Asserting that the two pilots 'did their best to save precious lives', the senior Congress leader said, 'I wonder what maintenance engineers and inspectors were up to... 'The pilot (Deepak V Sathe) was such a highly qualified personnel having decades of experience but he couldn't save himself. His co-pilot (Akhilesh Kumar) also died in the accident. They had to crash land the plane, and pay with their lives to save many others.'
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has dismissed the Opposition allegation that there was discrimination in providing compensation to victims of Rajamala landslide and the victims of aircraft crash at Karipur. The solatium announced for landslide victims was an interim one and the state government will "hold together" those who have lost everything, Vijayan said at a press meet on Saturday. The state government had announced a solatium of Rs five lakh to the families of those killed in the landslide and Rs ten lakh to the families of those who lost their lives in the plane crash. Vijayan said since the rescue operations were still on for missing persons in the landslide in high range Idukki district and the government was yet to make a final assessment of the loss incurred. "At Rajamala, we have declared the initial financial assistance. There the rescue operations are not over yet. We need to hold them together as we have the responsibility of taking care of those who lost everything. We also need to ensure their livelihood and rebuild their lives," Vijayan had said in the press meet.
Mortal remains of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar at Delhi airport.
Air India Express today said the mortal remains of deceased passengers were handed over to the families, PTI reported. The mortal remains of Captain Deepak Sathe were taken to Cochin airport and will be flown to Mumbai on Sunday, it added.
The mortal remains of pilot-in-command Deepak Vasanth Sathe have already been taken to the Cochin International Airport, from where it would be taken to Mumbai later in the day, the airline said in a statement. The mortal remains of co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar were cremated on Sunday "with attendance from all family members as well as with the officials of Air India and Air India Express present to mark respect to the departed soul at Mathura, his hometown", it said.
Exactly five years ago, the St. Vincent’s batch of 1976-78 decided to re-connect via WhatsApp. At least 75 former students came together to share childhood memories and bond at reunions. Captain Deepak Sathe, who had joined St Vincent’s in Class XI, was always travelling, and was not active on social media groups, but he had promised some of his batch-mates that he would meet them in Pune post lockdown. Now, the WhatsApp group is flooded with memories posted by his batch-mates, who are mourning the former Indian Air Force Wing Commander and pilot of the Air India Express plane, which crash-landed at Kozhikode airport on Friday night. Captain Sathe, 60, was one of the 18 people killed in the crash. His batch-mates are planning to record their memories of him and send an email to the late Captain’s wife. “On behalf of the 1976-78 batch, one of us will call his wife and express our deepest condolences. This has been such a shock,” said Dr Hillary Rodrigues, from the St Vincent’s batch of 1976 and former president of Indian Medical Association in Pune. “We knew him in Standard XI. He was very quiet and well behaved… extremely passionate about his studies,” said Dr Rodrigues. Click here to read more.
Friday’s plane crash at Kozhikode in Kerala involving an Air India Express flight with 190 people on board is the first major accident since the 2010 crash at Mangaluru airport. The Air India Express-operated Boeing 737-800 aircraft overshot Kozhikode airport’s runway — a tabletop runway like Mangaluru’s — and fell 35 feet down a slope, resulting in the aircraft splitting into two. Kozhikode’s runway is surrounded by deep gorges on both sides. Tabletop runways are generally constructed by chopping off the top of a hill, and are often thought of as tricky for landings because of the lack of any margin for overshooting the runway. According to pilots, landing on tabletop runways requires precision approach with little to no room for errors. Click here to read more.
Whether a longer runway at Kozhikode could have averted Friday’s crash may only be known once the investigation is over but the demand to extend it has been a pressing — and a long-standing one. In the accident, in which 18 people were killed and around 100 injured, the Air India Express plane overshot the tabletop runway and fell 35 feet down a slope, the impact breaking it in two. Way back in 2017, the Airports Authority of India, which manages the airport, had firmed up plans to extend Kozhikode’s 2750-m runway by 800 m and was awaiting allocation of land by the Kerala government. However, sources said, land was not acquired by the state citing high costs and local resistance. Tabletop runways are a challenge, especially during rain, when aircraft may need longer distances to slow down because of speed, reduced friction, payload and the risk of a skid.
Before leaving Dubai Friday noon, M Sharafudheen had ensured that his home in Kozhikode was stocked with provisions for a month — groceries in the cupboard, fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. He had also got his aged parents moved to his elder brother’s home that morning. The salesman was coming to Pilassery village, with his wife Amina Sherin and their two-year-old daughter Fathima Iza, after a year. And he wanted to make sure that everything was in place for the 28 days of home quarantine. Finally, before the flight took off, Sharafudheen posted a photograph on Facebook of the family inside the aircraft wearing face shields. Hours later, the 35-year-old became one of the 18 who were killed after the Air India Express aircraft crashlanded at Kozhikode airport. On Saturday, Sharafudheen’s body was in the morgue of the district’s medical college. Fathima was in the ICU, a few hundred metres away. And Amina was fighting for life after undergoing an emergency surgery at a private hospital. Click here to read more.
Speaking to news agency ANI, DGCA Director General Anil Kumar said international aviation bodies are open to join the probe into the plane mishap. "The black box of the flight has been brought to Delhi and kept at the DGCA lab for examination. Since it is an international airport, international aviation bodies are welcome to aid us in the investigation," he said. He added, "Soon, we will have all the transcripts from the recovered black boxes. We are also going to talk to Boeing to examine the aircraft’s original equipment and check for defects. Only after conducting a thorough and unbiased probe can we tell what exactly happened."
Global reinsurers will have to shell out over 90 per cent of the insured value of the Air India Express plane that was destroyed in the accident at the Kozhikode airport, with the public sector Indian insurance consortium led by New India Assurance — which reinsured the risk abroad — not getting affected much.
Air India, which has 170 aircraft, has taken an insurance policy that includes aircraft or hull and liability for third party and passengers. Air India Express’s aircraft is reinsured for around Rs 375 crore and Air India will recover this amount from reinsurers as the plane has been totally damaged.
All issues such as excessive rubber deposits, water stagnation and cracks that were red-flagged by aviation regulator DGCA in the past were "addressed and rectified" by the Kozhikode airport operator, said Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday.
The minister's statement came after various news reports stated that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a show cause notice to the director of the Kozhikode airport on July 11 last year after it found "various critical safety lapses" in different places, including the runway and the apron.
"It is indeed a fact that several issues were routinely red-flagged by DGCA, and were addressed by the (Kozhikode) airport operator. These pertain to excessive rubber deposits, water stagnation, cracks and other routine issues," Puri tweeted a day after the plane crash in Kozhikode that claimed at least 18 lives.
The bodies of the pilot and co-pilot of the Air India Express flight that crashed while attempting to land at the Karipur airport here, were handed over to their families on Saturday.
The relatives came with the AIE officials and the remains were taken to Ernakulam to be taken to their respective native places,Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan told PTI. "The bodies have been handed over to their families who came with AIE officials around 5 pm and as I understand they have moved to Cochin for onward journey to their respective destinations," Gopalakrishnan, who coordinated the rescue operations, said. (PTI)
Muhammed Riyas, 24, had taken the flight on Friday evening along with his brother after his parents fixed the marriage. His friends and local people at his native Mollur village are in a state of shock afer news emerged that Riyas, who was working with his brother Nizamuddin in Dubai, had died
in the accident. A villager said Riyas' family had fixed his engagement later this month after he completed the mandatory COVID-19 quarantine period.
"Unfortunately, we lost him in the tragedy.We are in a state of shock," one of his friends told reporters.(PTI)
Captain Deepak Vasanth Sathe was among the 18 people who died after an Air India Express flight from Dubai crashlanded at Kozhikode airport in Kerala on Friday. Sathe, 60, was a former Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and had served with its flight testing wing before taking to commercial flying.
He was an alumnus of the 58th course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, and was awarded the ‘Sword of Honour’ at the Air Force Academy (AFA) in Dundigal. READ MORE
A day after the crash of an Air India Express plane, aviation safety expert Captain Ranganathan, who had earlier flagged concerns about Kozhikode airport runway, on Saturday said regulator DGCA should not allow landing of flights during monsoons on runway 10 at the aerodrome.
"Death due to an accident is something which happens when you don't know but when you knew the danger existed and you were warned about it and you took no action and an accident takes place, then it is definitely murder," Ranganathan told PTI. In 2011, he had warned that flights landing on runway 10 in tailwind conditions in rain at the Kozhikode airport endanger the lives of people onboard those flights.
On Saturday, he said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) should enforce the correct runway code for Kozhikode airport.
Former Kerala bureaucrat E K Bharat Bhushan, who spearheaded and fast-tracked the completion of the Kozhikode airport back in 1988, and later in 2012, helming the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) threatened to shut down the flight operations at the same airport over safety concerns, told indianexpress.com that while multiple factors could have led to the mishap, this should be enough to convince people about the need to extend the runway here. Read the full interview here
Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri inspected the crash site of the Air India Express flight at Karippur in Kozhikode. Puri also announced an interim relief of Rs 10 lakh for each of those who died in the crash and assured the kin of victims that steps would be taken to get them compensation in line with an international convention of International Civil Aviation Organisation. (Picture source: PTI)
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and state Health Minister KK Shailaja visited the plane crash site in Kozhikode. Earlier in the day, the Kerala government announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of those who died in the tragedy. CM Vijayan also appreciated the instant response of the locals living in the vicinity of the airport and also the local authorities to the tragedy, which ensured minimum loss of lives in a disaster of such large magnitude.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Arvind Singh on Saturday said "corrective action" will be taken after receiving the probe report on the Air India Express plane crash at Kozhikode airport. Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the accident at the Kozhikode airport that has left at least 18 people dead, including the two pilots of the plane. "This report will tell us about all the issues... we are awaiting the inquiry report and then we will take corrective action," Singh was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The black box of the ill-fated Air India Express plane that crashed at Karipur International Airport in Kozhikode has been recovered and will be taken to Delhi for further investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, said an official of aviation regulator DGCA on Saturday. The digital flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder jointly make up the "black box" in an aircraft. PTI
"Deeply disheartened" over the news of the flight crash at Kozhikode in Kerala, Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswami today said in a statement: "I am deeply disheartened to hear the news of flight crash at Kozhikode. I pray to God to give enough strength to the families of victims and for the speedy recovery of the injured."
Speaking to reporters, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said: "There were 190 people on board the aircraft. Out of them, 18 lost their lives. Around 149 people were admitted to hospitals out of which 23 have been discharged. A few patients are in critical condition, three of them are on ventilators. We visited the site of crash and two black boxes have been recovered.The precise cause of the mishap will be determined when we analyse the data in those black boxes."
The Kerala government also announced a Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of those who died in the crash on Friday. "The state government has decided to provide a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those who have lost their lives. The medical expenses of those under treatment will be taken over by the state government," CM Vijayan told reporters. "Out of the 14 adults, seven are male and others female. Currently, 149 people are in various hospitals of Malappuram and Kozhikode, out of which 23 are in critical condition. Earlier, 23 were discharged after being provided initial medical assistance," he added.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today praised the 'fast response' of the local people and officials in being the first to reach the aircraft crash site to rescue passengers, braving inclement weather and Covid-19 fears, "which made all the difference." "Yesterday, the fast response of local people and officials made all the difference. They braved bad weather and COVID fears to rescue their fellow beings. The long queues of people who wanted to donate blood was just one example," Vijayan was quoted as saying by PTI.
The broken Air India Express aircraft at Kozhikode airport on Saturday. (Express photo)
Pilot-in-command Deepak Sathe was an experienced Boeing 737-800 aircraft pilot, Air India Express said today. It added that the family members of the deceased were escorted to a Kozhikode hospital where his mortal remains were kept for post-mortem. The airline also said that the family of deceased co-pilot Akhilesh Kumar was also escorted from Delhi to Kozhikode.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today said that a probe into the incident is underway. He also announced an interim relief of Rs 10 lakh interim relief for the kin of each of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 for those who suffered minor injuries.
The Central Industrial Security Force on Saturday directed its personnel to go into quarantine as a precautionary measure after at least two passengers of the Air India Express flight that crashed at Kozhikode tested positive for Covid-19, PTI reported. The CISF said it was the “first responder” to rescue passengers on Friday as its Assistant Sub Inspector Ajit Singh was on runway patrol when the flight from Dubai with 190 people onboard overshot the table top runway, fell into a 35-foot valley and broke into two. “We are identifying our personnel, who rescued the passengers who have tested positive for coronavirus,” CISF Special Director General (Airports) M A Ganapathy told PTI.
The Centre today said an investigation is on to ascertain various aspects of the Air India Express flight crash at Karipur airport. Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who arrived in Kozhikode this morning from New Delhi on the directive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was briefed by the officials of Air India and Airport Authority of India on how the accident had occurred. "Visited the crash site at #Calicut Airport. Officials of @airindiain and AAI briefed on how the accident had occurred. The investigation is on to ascertain various aspects of the crash," the minister tweeted.
One of the two relief flights that arrived at Kozhikode airport on Saturday.
Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan and Governor Arif Mohammad Khan arrived at Kozhikode today.
Digital flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder recovered from AI Express plane at Kozhikode crash site: DGCA official told PTI.
One of the 18 passengers, who died in the Kozhikode mishap on Friday, has tested positive for Covid-19. Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel told the media today, PTI reported. She said that thesamples of the passenger, Sudheer Varyath (45), were sent for testing and it has returned positive for the disease.
Aviation regulator DGCA had issued a show-cause notice to the director of the Kozhikode airport on July 11 last year after it found "various critical safety lapses", PTI reported. The DGCA pointed to cracks on the runway, water stagnation and excessive rubber deposits among other lapses in its show-cause notice, officials said. It also held an inspection after an Air India Express flight coming from Dammam in Saudi Arabia had a "tail strike" while landing at the Calicut (Kozhikode) airport on July 2 last year, an official said. "After the July 2 incident last year, the DGCA inspected the airport on July 4 and July 5 and found various critical safety lapses," said a senior DGCA official. On July 11, Kozhikode airport director K Srinivasa Rao was issued a show cause notice, added another DGCA official. However, it is not clear if any action was taken against Rao after the show-cause was issued.
Junior Foreign Minister at V Murakidharan at the accident spot on Saturday.
An old picture of the crash site at Kozhikode airport. (Via WhatsApp)
A pilot who claims to work for IndiGo said he shared specific safety concerns with authorities about the runway at the Karipur airport. In a Facebook post that has gone viral, pilot Anand Mohan Raj claimed that the airport’s “runway guidance lighting system is very poor” and “braking conditions is not monitored regularly (sic)”. He also wrote that it’s a nightmare for pilots to land on a tabletop runway, especially at night and under heavy rain and wind conditions. “Have made feedback to the concerned authorities right after many landing in the last years. Safety is the first word in aviation. Rest in Peace Capt Deepak Sathe & Capt Akhilesh. heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their dear ones,” he wrote.
A DGCA official today said that the Digital Flight Data Recorder was recovered from the aircraft, while the floorboard was being cut to retrieve the Cockpit Voice Recorder, news agency ANI reported.
Following the incident on Friday, an air traffic control official at Kozhikode airport said, “It had been raining incessantly for several hours. The flight went around the airport twice and then tried to land.” He said luckily the aircraft, which took off from Dubai at 2 pm and was scheduled to land in Kozhikode at 7.27 pm, didn’t catch fire. “We immediately started rescue efforts with the support of local people.”
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Civil Aviation Ministry senior officials, Airports Authority of India and Air Navigation Service members will today hold a meeting in Delhi over the crash landing of the Air India Express flight at Kozhikode on Friday.
Medical personnel in personal protective wear stand as people injured are attended to at the Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode, Kerala, on Friday. (AP)
Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan arrived in Kozhikode on Saturday morning. (Source: Government of Kerala)
Keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic, the Kerala health department today announced that all those who took part in the rescue operations will require to go into quarantine. Kondotty, where the airport is situated, is already a containment zone with a high positivity rate. The surviving passengers are being tested for the virus. All those who took part in the rescue operations will also be tested, the department said.
Of the total, 17 persons who were killed in the crash have been identified, Malappuram District Collector K Gopalakrishnan told reporters.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said: "Eighteen people, including two pilots, have lost their lives. It is unfortunate. At least 127 people are at hospitals, others have been released. Our task would have been much more difficult had the plane caught fire. I am going to the airport."
Data from a popular global flight tracker website shows that the Air India Express plane that skidded off the tabletop runway at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport appears to have attempted to land twice at the airport. Flightradar24, that tracks the flight in real-time, indicated that the aircraft tried to land twice at the tabletop airport. The data showed the plane looping around the airport before attempting to land. Survivors told local television channels that the aircraft went up and down many times before landing and the disaster occurred after the plane had clearly touched the runway.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will visit Karipur today where the Air India Express flight crash-landed yesterday, ANI reported.
Kozhikode’s runway is surrounded by deep gorges on both sides. Tabletop runways are generally constructed by chopping off the top of a hill, and are often thought of as tricky for landings because of the lack of any margin for overshooting the runway. According to senior government officials, the Air India Express aircraft at Kozhikode did not catch fire upon crashing, thereby minimising casualties. An official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the aircraft seemed to have touched down at higher than usual speed, giving pilots less time to bring it to a halt at a runway that is shorter than usual. Click here to read more.
"Two special relief flights have been arranged from Delhi and Mumbai, respectively, for rendering humanitarian assistance to all the passengers and the family members. AAIB, DGCA and Flight Safety Departments have reached to investigate the incident," Air India Express was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.