AI flight tyre goes flat seconds before take-off

An Air India plane headed for Thiruvananthapuram was grounded in Sharjah after its tyre burst seconds before taking off, sending the 172 passengers on board into panic.

The Boeing 737-800 Air India Express flight LX536, which was scheduled to leave at 12.10 pm (local time) on Tuesday, was delayed by nine hours after the 'tyre glitch' forced the pilot to abort the take-off.

While no injuries were reported, the passengers were sent into panic by the incident. They were evacuated and transferred to the waiting lounge, officials at the airport said.

The runway was closed for over eight hours and numerous flights were diverted to neighbouring airports.

Mohini Singh, a senior official at the airline, confirmed the accident to the local media and said that all passengers had been transferred to the waiting lounge at the airport terminal.

"The runway had to be closed temporarily so that the aircraft could be towed back to the bay. We have immediately asked for a new aircraft from India," she said.

The stranded passengers were then flown to India around 9.20 pm (local time).