An Alliance Air flight from New Delhi to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh suffered a tyre burst while landing at Bilaspur airport on Friday afternoon, triggering a brief scare among the 41 people onboard. The pilots managed to bring the aircraft to a controlled halt on the runway, and all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated.
Flight 91-613 (VT-UDA) departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at 11.11 am and arrived at Bilaspur airport at around 1.22 pm. During touchdown, a tyre on the aircraft’s left-side main landing gear burst.
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Bilaspur airport director N Biren Singh said all 41 people onboard, including 37 passengers and four crew members, escaped unhurt.
According to Singh, the tyre puncture occurred during landing, following which the pilots safely brought the aircraft to a halt on the runway. Ground support teams and airport personnel then assisted the passengers and crew members and escorted them safely to the terminal building.
The airport authorities said the aircraft’s landing gear and tyres are subjected to considerable friction, pressure and high-speed loads during touchdown. Any suspected structural damage therefore requires a detailed technical inspection before the aircraft can be cleared for further operations.
As a precautionary measure, the aircraft’s scheduled onward service from Bilaspur to Delhi via Prayagraj was cancelled. The decision was taken to allow engineers to conduct the necessary maintenance checks and replace the damaged tyre.
Alliance Air also confirmed the incident in a statement, saying the aircraft experienced a wheel burst involving the main wheels on the left-hand side while landing. The airline confirmed that there were no injuries among those onboard.
The airline said a team of engineers would examine the aircraft to determine the reason for the wheel burst. The aircraft involved had earlier operated the Delhi-Kullu-Delhi route safely on Friday morning before being deployed for the Bilaspur service.
The incident did not result in any injuries or major disruption at the airport, with passengers safely moved to the terminal after the aircraft was brought under control.
