Etihad Airways flight makes 'hard landing' at Mumbai airport; main runway shuts down for an hour

The tyre of an Etihad Airways aircraft burst upon landing at Mumbai International Airport, resulting in the main runway shutting down for a brief period.

Preliminary information suggests that the incident took place at 7.30 pm, when the aircraft made a hard landing on the airport’s main runway. Information on the cause of the tyre burst is still to be revealed.

In a statement, an Etihad Airways spokesperson said, "Etihad Airways flight EY204 from Abu Dhabi to Mumbai on 31 July 2017 experienced a tyre deflation after landing. The aircraft was immediately towed from the runway to a parking bay. All passengers and crew are fine and engineers are ready to replace the deflated tyres after guests disembarked the aircraft. Etihad Airways is assisting guests who may be impacted by the delay of the outbound flight and advising them of any subsequent changes to their travel plans."

The incident comes barely two days after the Middle Eastern carrier announced that it has posted a net loss of $1.87 billion in the last fiscal.

At 8.40 pm, it was reported that the aircraft had been towed from the runway, which was subsequently operational.