Aircraft with Pawar, Patel aboard lands with snag

 
NEW DELHI: Senior union ministers Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel faced some scary moments Friday as the Kingfisher Airlines aircraft they were travelling by developed a mid-air snag and was forced to land at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here.

The aircraft with Pawar and Patel among passengers had taken off from the Delhi airport but was forced to return and land barely 25 minutes into the flight, an airport official said.

All emergency operations were pressed into service at the airport here while the Kingfisher's IT 310 aircraft landed at 2.30 p.m.

"No one is injured. There is no damage to the aircraft either," a senior official of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) told IANS.

The official confirmed that Agriculture Minister Pawar and Civil Aviation Minister Patel were on board the aircraft when the snag was detected mid-air.
 
"The pilot decided to fly back and landed at the airport here," he added.

Airport officials later said the flight resumed its journey at 4 p.m. from the IGI airport.