Four tyres of Mumbai-bound Lufthansa flight burst on landing

Mumbai, May 14: One hundred and sixty-three passengers on a Mumbai-bound Lufthansa flight from the German city of Munich had a miraculous escape here after four tyres of the plane were damaged while landing.

In an official statement, the German national carrier said, " on May 13, at 10:50 PM local time, four tyres of the flight LH764 from Munich to Mumbai were damaged. The incident happened on Runway 27."

The airline said the passengers of Airbus A330 flight had to be deplaned through the stairs and none of them were hurt. The German airline also said it cancelled the return flight (LH765) to Munich scheduled for today from the city.

The cancelled flight was to ferry 223 passengers, who would be booked on other flights. The statement added that the plane would be towed away from the runway after fixing of the new tyres.

The Lufthansa accident caused jam on the runway leading to cancellations and delay of many flights. While four flights -- United Airlines, Singapore, Air India and Cathay Pacific -- were cancelled, many got delayed.

In a statement, the Singapore Airlines said its Airbus A380 flight (SQ423) bound for Singapore from Mumbai last night was delayed due to the temporary runway closure. The flight was to ferry 427 passengers and 25 crew.

The airline said the passengers have been provided with hotel accommodation and a revised departure time will be determined when the runway is reopened by the authorities.

PTI