Kochi: A major accident was averted at Cochin International Airport in the wee hours of Tuesday when a Kuwait Airways flight landed in a wrong position on the runway due to poor visibility, but the pilot managed to take the plane to safety.
“The flight KU357 while landing around 4.20 am faced sudden rains very close to the runway bringing down the visibility drastically, due to which the aircraft alignment with centre line got altered. This caused the aircraft to drift and make contact with the runway edge lights on the southern side,” said an airport official.
He said that the pilot after the misplaced landing was able to taxi the aircraft safely to the parking stand. There were 163 passengers on board who felt no discomfort.
“Flight operations on the runway resumed minutes after cleaning and correction of runway lights. The flight departed for Kuwait at 9.40 am with 161 passengers on board after changing the wheel. The aircraft also did not suffer any serious damage. The four damaged runway lights were replaced immediately,” the official added.
