Thiruvananthapuram: A Saudi-bound Air India Express flight from here on Saturday made an emergency landing after being airborne for less than an hour when the pilots detected a crack in the windshield, an official said.
After taking off from here at around 7.52 am, less than an hour into the flight, the pilots noticed the crack in the windshield of the aeroplane prompting them to turn back to Thiruvananthapuram for an emergency landing at around 8.50 am, an airport official said.
However, the plane had no passengers, due to the COVID- 19 curbs on international travel to certain destinations, and was only carrying cargo and a crew of eight.
All the crew members, including the pilots, are safe, C V Ravindran, the Director of Thiruvananthapuram Airport, told PTI.
He also said that had the crack been detected in the pre-flight check, the plane would not have taken off and therefore, it must have happened during take-off or while cruising.
The flight was going to return from Dammam in Saudi Arabia with Indian passengers as part of the "Vande Bharat Mission", he added.
