Air India Express plane veers off taxiway at Kochi airport; all passengers evacuated safely

Kochi/Mumbai: An Air India Express aircraft carrying 102 passengers and six crew members on-board veered off the taxiway at Kochi airport after it arrived from Abu Dhabi early Tuesday morning. However, all passengers were evacuated safely. “All passengers were evacuated through ladder. All safe. No casualties,” a Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) spokesman said. [caption id=“attachment_2723662” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The nose-wheel of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft also collapsed after it went off the taxiway, an airline source said. The incident took place at around 2.40 am when the Abu Dhabi-Kochi Air India Express IX-452 approached the parking bay from taxiway after its landing at 2.39 am, the CIAL spokesman said. The aircraft has been grounded after the incident, the source said, adding an internal inquiry as well as a probe by the aviation regulator DGCA has been initiated. Air India Express spokesperson was not available for comments.