Air India Express arranges 3 relief flights for those affected by Kozhikode plane crash

Following the horrific Air India Express flight crash at Kozhikode airport on Friday, three special relief flights have been arranged to Kozhikode for rendering humanitarian assistance to all the passengers and the family members affected by the crash. Two special relief flights have been arranged from Delhi and one from Mumbai. Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), DGCA & Flight Safety Department officials have reached the incident site to investigate the crash.

An Air India Express flight took off at around 2 am on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday from Delhi to Kozhikode carrying investigating officers from DGCA and AAIB, CEO of Air India Express and other officials of AI and AIE. While the second one was from Mumbai to Kozhikode at around 6 am carrying 'Angels of Air India' a Special Assistance Team by Air India and GO employees who would coordinate and liaise with various agencies to provide support and assist families of those affected in this incident. The third flight was from Delhi at around 6 am carrying the CMD and other senior officials of Air India.

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The tragic plane crash

In a horrible tragedy, Air India Express flight IX-1134 from Dubai was involved in an accident at Kozhikode, Kerala. The Boeing 737 aircraft which was deployed under the Vande Bharat Mission overshot the runway at the Kozhikode airport at 7:41 pm on Friday and nosedived into the valley, splitting into three pieces. The airlines in a press release informed that there were 184 passengers and 6 crew members on board. So far, the casualty figure has risen to 18, including the two pilots Capt. DV Sathe and First Officer Capt. Akhilesh Kumar, while the four crew members are safe and the injured are being treated at hospitals in Malappuram & Kozhikode. Youngest to succumb is a one-year-old boy who was undergoing treatment at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital after the plane crash.

Kozhikode airport has been closed down temporarily and all incoming flights have been diverted to Kannur or Cochin international airports. Minister of State for External Affairs, V Muraleedharan has reached Kozhikode on Saturday morning to assess the situation. 

A senior investigator from DGCA informed that the Air India Express pilots, who died in the Kozhikode crash, tried to land the plane twice before the unfortunate crash landing at the tabletop runway. While speaking to ANI, the official said that the pilots aborted two landing due to tailwind. 

The senior DGCA investigator said, “According to weather radar, the approach was for runway 28 but as pilots found difficulties, they went around twice and came from the opposite side on runway 10 and the plane crash-landed at Kerala’s Kozhikode airport”.

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