Coronavirus evacuation: AI's 2nd flight from Wuhan did emergency landing due to window crack

NEW DELHI: Air India's second special flight that evacuated 323 Indians and seven Maldivians from Wuhan in China had done an "emergency landing" at Delhi airport on February 2 due to a crack in its cockpit window, a senior airline official said.

"A windshield was observed to be cracked in the cockpit. Delhi Airport's air traffic control (ATC) was transmitted an emergency message by pilots so that a priority landing can be obtained. The plane landed safely and without any incident" the airline official stated.

Using its 423-seater B747 planes, Air India conducted two special flights to Wuhan, the epicentre of novel coronavirus outbreak in China, to evacuate total 647 Indians and seven Maldivians.

The first flight had returned to Delhi airport on February 1 with 324 Indians onboard.

All Indians evacuated from Wuhan have tested negative for novel coronavirus, stated Union health ministry on Thursday. More than 630 people have died in China due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.