SpiceJet Tyre Bursts On Landing At Darbhanga Airport, 150 Passengers Safe

Darbhanga: A major aviation incident was averted at Bihar's Darbhanga Airport on Monday when a SpiceJet aircraft arriving from Mumbai suffered a tyre burst moments after touchdown. The flight crew managed to bring the plane to a safe stop on the runway, preventing a dangerous situation at the airport with passengers onboard.

According to reports, all of the around 150 passengers on board were evacuated without injury, bringing relief after tense moments inside the cabin. The airport officials confirmed that the security teams and ground staff responded immediately, ensuring that every passenger was assisted off the aircraft safely.

The incident, however, had a rippling effect on operations at the airport throughout the day. As per the sources, the SpiceJet aircraft occupied critical apron space and a separate technical snag affected an Akasa Air flight, while other services were either delayed or diverted, leaving travellers facing long waits and uncertainty.

Tyre Burst Causes Panic

According to the airport sources, the SpiceJet Mumbai–Darbhanga service encountered the tyre burst at around 10 am, shortly after making contact with the runway. The damaged wheel is said to have dragged along the tarmac for some distance, leading to noticeable vibrations and jolts inside the cabin. The sudden impact triggered alarm among the passengers, though the pilot retained full control and successfully halted the aircraft.

Following the incident, the airport security personnel and ground crew moved immediately to the site, and all passengers were escorted from the aircraft without any reported injuries. The plane was subsequently moved to the apron, where engineers commenced a detailed technical inspection to assess the extent of the damage and ascertain the next steps for clearance.

Diversions And Delays Reported

As per sources, the SpiceJet aircraft remained stationed on the apron until around 6.30 pm, limiting parking capacity at the Darbhanga Airport. As a precautionary measure, an IndiGo flight inbound from Delhi was diverted to Patna because no apron space was available to park. Once normal operations resumed, the aircraft later operated from Patna to Darbhanga before departing for Delhi with passengers on board.

The situation was compounded when an Akasa Air flight from Mumbai developed a technical fault that also required inspection on the ground. As both the SpiceJet and Akasa Air aircraft occupied the apron space, the airport operations remained constrained for much of the day. Sources at the airport indicated that both planes were likely to stay at Darbhanga overnight, raising the possibility of further disruption to scheduled services on Tuesday.

Passengers Advised Caution

The airport authorities stated that technical inspections of both aircraft are currently underway and the planes will only be released for service once engineers certify them as airworthy. In the meantime, the passengers have been urged to check the latest status of their flights directly with the respective airlines before heading to the airport.

The twin issues, the tyre burst on the SpiceJet flight and the technical snag on the Akasa Air aircraft, have placed considerable strain on Darbhanga’s limited infrastructure. Though the quick response of the flight crew and ground teams ensured that Monday’s incident ended without casualties, the operational backlog also outlined the challenges smaller airports face when multiple aircraft are grounded unexpectedly.