JEDDAH: The Saudi Arabian Airlines plane that was stranded on an airport runway in Mumbai on Saturday following a twin-tire burst arrived back in Jeddah on Sunday.
Abdullah Alajhar, Saudia’s vice president for public relations, said a team of Saudia officials is in Mumbai to probe the incident. He added that the plane was repaired in Mumbai and was operational.
When asked about the possible cause of the tire bursts, Alajhar said: “The pilot felt that some debris must have hit the tires and caused the bursts.”
Bad weather, ongoing renovations to the runway and incidental debris could also have contributed, he added.
“The weather and the distance of the taxiway to the terminal delayed the deplaning of passengers and towing operations. However, once the load was lightened, the plane was pulled to the apron where repairs were carried out,” Alajhar said.
He said the plane left Jeddah on Saturday having undergone complete checks.
“Once the investigating team finds out the reasons, we will forward the findings to the aviation authorities and the aircraft manufacturer,” he said, adding that Saudia gives top priority to passenger safety. The Flight SV744 originated from Jeddah en route to Mumbai via Riyadh.
The No. 3 and No. 4 tires of the left-side main gear of the Boeing 747-300 burst while touching down on Mumbai’s runway in heavy monsoon rains.
The pilot slowed the plane down safely and exited the runway, stopping on the adjacent taxiway. The runway was closed for nearly an hour as the place was inspected and tire debris collected.
Passengers disembarked after a three-hour wait in the plane and were bused to the terminal before the airplane was towed to an apron. Passengers were told to collect their luggage on Sunday morning. They were allowed out of the airport after signing a form for their luggage on Saturday night.
“We got our luggage, but some of our bags were smashed and the wheelbases were broken,” said one passenger. Others had similar complaints.
Saudia, meanwhile, is gearing up for the expected summer rush with a new schedule and increase in staff strength. “Saudia will operate about 480 flights daily to meet domestic and international demands during the summer. There is a summer plan and Saudia is monitoring daily operations and reviewing all aspects of flights to follow up on the reasons and causes of delays to take action,” Alajhar said.
“We have increased the number of employees in reservation for the period. Eighty staff have been inducted for this period — 50 in Jeddah and 30 in Riyadh,” Alajhar added.
