Team Mangalorean - Suburban

Mangalore: The outlook around the local airport having remained hazy over the past few days, many flights were disrupted, inconveniencing passengers.

The Air India Express 812 flight which was scheduled to land here in the morning on Thursday, Aug 16, could not do on account of poor light. It was diverted to Calicut (Kozhikode) in Kerala. The plane had taken off from Dubai on Wednesday night, but there was no visibility beyond 100 metres at the scheduled time of landing. The crew decided to divert it to Calicut.

There too, the plane reportedly landed a few metres ahead of the designated point. The aircraft and passengers received a jolt, a passenger on board later told the mediapersons. For about two hours, the passengers remained locked inside. After vociferous protests, they were allowed to alight and stretch themselves. Up to 11 am, there were not provided with water or food.

After a few hours, it was decided to fly the passengers to Mangalore. But they are said to have refused to be taken by the same aircraft. A substitute aircraft took off for Mangalore and landed here around 1-30 pm.