Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh): A Delhi-Bilaspur flight operated by Alliance Air suffered a tyre burst while landing at Bilaspur airport on Friday, though all 41 people on board were safely evacuated, officials said.
The incident involving flight 9I613 occurred at around 11 a.m. when the aircraft, carrying 37 passengers and four crew members, was landing at the airport, an official said.
According to officials, the aircraft’s left-side tyre suffered a puncture during the landing. Following the incident, all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated from the aircraft and taken from the runway to the terminal building.
There were no reports of any injuries in the incident, officials said.
The airline subsequently cancelled the flight that was scheduled to operate onward from Bilaspur, the official said.
Further details about the incident are awaited.
Alliance Air is a government-owned regional airline in India that primarily connects tier-2 and tier-3 cities with major metropolitan centres.
Founded in April 1996 as a subsidiary of Indian Airlines, the airline was earlier known as Air India Regional. Following the privatisation of Air India, Alliance Air now operates independently under AI Asset Holding Limited (AIAHL), a government-owned special purpose vehicle.
Headquartered in New Delhi, Alliance Air has operational hubs in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai. Its fleet comprises mainly turboprop aircraft, including ATR 72-600, ATR 42-600 and Dornier 228 aircraft.
Alliance Air currently connects 55 destinations across India, operating more than 80 departures every day.
The airline has been a frontrunner in the Centre’s flagship UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme), playing a key role in expanding affordable air connectivity to underserved and unserved regions. On April 27, 2017, the Hon’ble Prime Minister flagged off the first UDAN flight on the Shimla–Delhi route, with Alliance Air having the distinction of being the launch carrier.
(IANS)
