Chennai, October 02: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had a miraculous escape, when the Jet Aiways aircraft, in which he was flying to Coimbatore, developed technical snag on mid-air and made an emergency landing here this morning.
Mr Chidambaram was among the 64 passengers on board the flight-9W 2735, which took off from the domestic airport here at 0635 hrs and they heaved a sigh of relief when the flight, after nearly an hour-long anxious moments on the air, returned and made a safe landing at 0740 hrs after the pilot noticed a technical snag and decided return.
Sources at the airport said the flight was on the midway to Coimbatore, when the pilot noticed a technical snag and informed the Air Traffic Control Tower here, that he wanted to return and make an emergency landing as he could not proceed to Coimbatore.
Soon, the authorities swung into action and rushed in Medical teams and fire service squads and made all arrangements for an emergency landing. Much to the relief of the authorities, the aircraft, made a safe landing at 0740 hrs.
Though the private airways refused to disclose the details of the technical snag, sources suggested that one of the engines failed, forcing the pilots to return and make an emergency landing. The pilot did not want to take the risk of making emergency landing in Coimbatore in the absence of enough facilities in the textile city, the sources added.
A much relieved Mr Chidambaram, later took the Jet Airways flight at 0835 hrs and flew to Coimbatore. The flight came from Hyderabad and scheduled to fly to Bangalore, when it was diverted to Coimbatore, sources added.
—Agencies