Mangaluru/New Delhi: A MiG-29K fighter jet of the Indian Navy made an emergency landing at Mangaluru airport at 5pm on Tuesday and was stuck on the runway for several hours as it suffered a tyre burst.
As many as eight flights were affected as the runway operation was shut completely for about three hours. “During a routine training sortie, a MIG 29 K fighter aircraft diverted to Mangalore airfield following a hydraulic emergency.
“During the landing the aircraft experienced a tyre burst and couldn’t clear off the runway. A second MIG 29K had escorted the aircraft,” Navy Spokesperson Captain D K Sharma said.
A recovery team was sent to Mangaluru airport which cleared off the runway around 8 pm.
Several flights were diverted from Mangaluru to Benguluru. Three arrivals and five departures were affected due to the runway closure between 5PM and 8PM, a Manguluru airport official said.
The MiG-29K had taken off from aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and when the pilot suspected hydraulic failure, he decided to divert the aircraft to Manguluru airport and sought its emergency landing.