A full emergency was declared at Kochi airport on Friday after an incident of hydraulic failure was reported from an inbound Air Arabia flight from Sharjah, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) said. All passengers and crew were safe. 

CIAL, in a communication sent to the media, said Air Arabia G9- 426 which was supposed to land at 19:13 hrs here reported a hydraulic failure following which a full emergency was declared at the airport. “Aircraft landed safely at runway 09 at 19:29 hrs,” CIAL said, adding that only towing was required. The full emergency was withdrawn at 2022 hrs.

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Meanwhile, CIAL MD, S Suhas, said a concerted effort and timely coordination helped CIAL to see through the airport emergency situation. “Though such a situation occurred after a long period, it was proved that the safety systems worked effectively. We could resume the operations in 45 minutes,” Suhas said. CIAL said two flights were diverted during the incident.

“GO FIRST G8 336 was diverted to Kannur at 1940 hrs and Air Arabia 3L125 was diverted to Coimbatore at 1950 hrs,” airport authorities said. CIAL said that all, including 222 passengers and seven crew members, were safe. However, there was no immediate response from the airline.

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