Bhutan Foreign Min extends 'deepest condolences' to AI Express crash victims in Kozhikode

The Bhutan Foreign Ministry on Friday extended deepest condolences to the victims of the Air India Express crash in Kozhikode, Kerala. Bhutan's Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji expressed his grief over the unfortunate incident and conveyed his sympathies to the passengers and crew who lost their lives and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.

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Kozhikode Air India plane crash

As per a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, an Air India Express flight arriving in Kozhikode skid off the runway, and had a crash landing. The runway which is of the tabletop pattern was reportedly waterlogged. The incident took place amid very heavy rainfall in the area around 7:40 PM on Friday, August 7. There were 191 persons on board including two pilots and 5 cabin crew. At least 18 persons including two pilots have lost their lives in the incident and the injured are admitted to hospitals in Malappuram & Kozhikode. Kerala govt has confirmed that a one-year-old boy injured in the crash has succumbed to his wounds at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital and is reported to be the youngest casualty in the plane crash.

Following the crash landing of the plane, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan instructed the Police and Fire Force to take urgent action. After the incident, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has also announced that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau would conduct a formal inquiry.

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DGCA flagged maintenance issues at airport in 2019

Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had served notice to the Kozhikode International Airport over safety concerns last year in July. The notice was served after an Air India Express flight coming from Dammam had a tail strike while landing at the airport on July 2, 2019. The  Airport was issued a show-cause notice following an audit from July 2 to July 5 over unsafe airport maintenance and was given 15 days to respond to the notice. The notice pointed out the excessive deposit of rubber and stagnating water on the runway. However, reportedly, the DGCA gave a go-ahead to the operation after lapses were repaired.

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