Nellore: Timely information given by Tirupati International Airport authorities about an overturned fire-fighting unit on the runway averted a possible disaster on Sunday. As a result, an Indigo aircraft, Flight E-6 with 30 passengers bound for Tirupati from Hyderabad, was diverted to Bengaluru.
Tirupati airport director S. Suresh said the fire-fighting unit overturned around 9 am when it was on its way to inspect the runway before giving clearance to the Indigo flight. “We passed on the information to Air Traffic Control in Chennai. They diverted the flight, which was under their control then,” Suresh told Deccan Chronicle.
The airport director said the runway has been restored for flights after removal of fire-fighting unit in a two-and-a-half-hour operation. An enquiry has been ordered into the mishap.
Passengers of the diverted Indigo flight were accommodated in another flight bound for Tirupati from Bengaluru. They landed in Tirupati after a three-hour delay, Suresh said. He praised officials and staff of the Tirupati airport for clearing the runway within a short time.
