Air India jet skids during landing in Mumbai, damaging aircraft and runway

Published July 21, 2025
A screengrab shows damage to an enginge on an Air India aircraft that skidded off the runway at Mumbai International Airport in Mumbai, India, July 21. — Screengrab via YouTube/NDTV
A screengrab shows damage to an enginge on an Air India aircraft that skidded off the runway at Mumbai International Airport in Mumbai, India, July 21. — Screengrab via YouTube/NDTV

An Air India Airbus A320 flight veered off the runway as it landed during heavy rain at the Mumbai International Airport on Monday, briefly shutting the runway and damaging the underside of one of the plane’s engines.

All passengers and crew members have since disembarked, Air India said, without saying whether anyone was injured. Air India flight AI2744 had flown from Kochi in southern Kerala state to Mumbai.

The Mumbai airport said in a statement that there were “minor damages reported to the airport’s primary runway” due to what it described as a “runway excursion”, and a secondary runway had been activated to ensure operational continuity.

The aircraft has been grounded for checks, Air India added.

A Times of India report, citing sources, said three tyres had burst on the aircraft after the landing. TV footage from NDTV and India Today showed the outer casing of the engine damaged, with some apparent cracks.

In a separate incident reported by Indian media, an Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata was aborted moments before takeoff due to a technical issue.

The Times of India reported that Air India flight AI2403 was carrying 160 passengers and experienced a technical fault, forcing the pilots to discontinue the takeoff.

An Air India spokesperson said, “Flight A12403 operating from Delhi to Kolkata on 21 July 2025 has been rescheduled to depart later this evening, necessitated by a technical issue detected during the take-off roll.”

Air India has come under intense scrutiny after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in the Indian city of Ahmedabad last month, killing 260 people.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency said earlier this month it plans to investigate its budget airline, Air India Express, after Reuters reported the carrier did not follow a directive to change engine parts of an Airbus A320 in a timely manner and falsified records to show compliance.

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