Kingfisher plane skids off the runway at Chennai

CHENNAI: It was a close shave for 13 passengers and five crew members on board a Kingfisher aircraft when their plain skidded off from the runway at Chennai airport on Friday night. No passengers were injured.

The aircraft, which was bound to Trichy from Chennai was returning after it canceled the landing at the destination due to heavy rain. "The incident happened at 00.45 hours. There was a tyre burst in its nose wheel immediately after the landing and the flight skidded off the main runway 25," said a senior airport official. As a major expansion project is in progress at Chennai airport, it is being operated with a single main runway and the flight operations had been stopped following the incident.

The runway has been closed for nearly two hours delaying many international services after the accident. "The runway operations were restored by 01.45am," said the official.