About 150 passengers of a Thai Airways flight had a close shave as a major mishap was averted while landing at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru on the night of Tuesday, April 26. The flight, which departed from Bangkok in Thailand, had touched down on the Bengaluru airport runway when one of its tyres got deflated. This was noticed by the ground staff, who immediately flagged the issue to officials.
Reports state that the incident occurred at around 11.30 pm on Tuesday, and the pilots of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane were immediately notified about the issue. Soon after, all 150 passengers and flight crew members disembarked safely. While they all escaped unhurt, the incident caused inconvenience to several other passengers who had booked tickets to fly back to Bangkok the following morning.
The flight was reportedly supposed to be converted into Thai Airways TG 326, which was to fly back to Bangkok at 12.30 am on Wednesday, April 27. But the deflated tyre caused the flight to be delayed. Some passengers alleged on social media that they were not provided with the next flight’s details or arrangements for accommodation. However, according to the Times of India (ToI), an official of the Bangalore International Airport Limited — which operates the airport — said that arrangements were made for food and accommodation for these passengers. Further, an alternative flight was arranged, which was scheduled to take off on the morning of Thursday, April 28.
The ToI report also states that after the Thai Airways flight landed with a deflated tyre in Bengaluru, a technical team from the company was rushed to the spot and arrived on Wednesday. They reportedly replaced the damaged tyre and did other maintenance works, and the flight is expected to continue operating as usual.