Delhi-Shimla Flight Makes Emergency Landing, Himachal Deputy CM, DGP Among 44 Passengers

New Delhi: Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and DGP Atul Verma were among 44 passengers on the Delhi-Shimla flight when it suffered a technical glitch during landing on Monday. Fortunately, all passengers, including Agnihotri and Verma were safe, news agency ANI reported citing Shimla Airport sources.

Delhi-Shimla Flight Makes Emergency Landing | What Happened

Quoting sources, news agency ANI reported, "A pilot of flight no. 9I821 Alliance Air flight from Delhi to Shimla reported a technical glitch in the brake of the flight during landing at Shimla airport on Monday morning," the news agency said citing sources.

"All 44 passengers including deputy CM Of Himachal Pradesh, Mukesh Agnihotri and DGP Dr Atul Verma are safe. The aircraft has been grounded for inspection," it added. 

The aircraft has been grounded by airport officials for inspection to check the issue. 

Passengers Remained Inside Aircraft For Nearly 30 Mins

Mukesh Agnihotri, while speaking to reporters, described the landing as subpar, stating that passengers remained inside the aircraft for nearly half an hour after it came to a stop.

"We reached Shimla by flight this morning, but there was an issue with the landing. I am not familiar with the technical aspects, but as a layman, I can say that when the plane was about to land, it did not touch down at the expected spot. It continued moving until it reached the edge of the runway, where it finally came to a halt after strong braking. We had to stay inside for about 20-25 minutes," Agnihotri told ANI.

He further mentioned that passengers were initially informed that a taxi would be arranged for further transport. However, they were later deboarded differently, and the connecting flight to Dharamshala was cancelled. "Many of us had planned to reach Shimla via Dharamshala, but now those passengers are travelling by road instead," he added.

Meanwhile, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) clarified that the aircraft landed successfully but required monitoring of its hydraulic system. The plane is currently stationed at the apron and undergoing technical inspection.