Air India flight's tyre deflates while landing, all passengers safe

Passengers on board a flight of national carrier Air India had a narrow escape at Bhopal airport in the central state of Madhya Pradesh Wednesday after one of the tyres of the plane deflated while landing, China's Xinhua news agency reported. "Some 100 people, including crew members, were on the flight to Bhopal from the Indian capital. The tyre burst happened around 7:30 am while the plane was landing at Bhopal airport. All passengers are safe," a senior aviation official said, on condition of anonymity. A probe has been ordered into the incident to ascertain if there was negligence on part of ground engineers, who are responsible for thoroughly checking the aircraft before take-off and also after landing, he said. According to Xinhua, tyre bursts are common in Air India planes because of the aging fleet that the state-run carrier still operates across many sectors in India. The national carrier is facing funds crunch and is in a desperate need to replace its old fleet with new planes, say experts.