An Air India Express flight from Tiruchirapalli to Sharjah avoided a major disaster on Friday evening after experiencing a technical issue shortly after takeoff. The aircraft circled in the air for over two hours before landing safely.

The Boeing 737, carrying 141 passengers, took off from Tiruchirapalli airport at 5:45 PM, and all on board are reported safe.

The flight, IX-613, was initially granted permission for a belly landing. However, the aircraft successfully landed normally and safely without any issues.

An internal investigation into the incident has been launched, and the aviation regulatory body, DGCA, has been notified.

What is a belly landing?

According to the Skybrary website, a belly landing occurs when an aircraft lands with its landing gear retracted. This is typically due to a malfunction that prevents the gear from being deployed or locked.

In some cases, pilots may choose to perform a belly landing if they believe it will result in a safer outcome, particularly if landing outside an airfield. A situation where the landing gear is unintentionally not deployed due to human error is known as a “gear-up landing."

While this requires a quick response from emergency services, it is not classified as an emergency or belly landing, as the crew does not expect any issues until the aircraft touches down.