A310, 767 Experience Problems Inflight; No One Injured

Two Air India flights made emergency landings on Tuesday, closing the airport for more than seven hours and severely delaying passengers.

The first emergency came just after 0600 local time, when the landing gear failed to lock in place on an Airbus A310 arriving from Shanghai via Bangkok. The aircraft landed successfully... but after the emergency landing, the front gear collapsed. All 169 passengers and 14 crew members evacuated safely, according to local officials.

The jet then sat on the main runway for several hours awaiting removal by heavy lifting equipment. "At 1319 hours we started using the main runway," Indira Gandhi International Airport spokesman told reporters, explaining the landing tarmac with the collapsed aircraft was cordoned off until then.

Shortly after the runway was cleared and regular flight operations resumed, however, another Air India flight -- this time a Boeing 767 due in from Dubai -- reported hydraulic problems to controllers. This aircraft also made an emergency landing at New Delhi with 65 passengers on board, officials said.

There were no injuries to the passengers, the official said.

New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport is once again open and operating normally, according to local officials... but Air India, beset with safety criticisms due to its aging fleet, likely has some questions to answer.

FMI: www.airindia.com