Air India A320 skids off runway after landing in heavy rain
- An Air India Airbus A320 skidded off the runway at Mumbai International Airport while landing in heavy rain.
- The incident caused damage to one of the engine's undersides and resulted in three burst tyres.
- The aircraft has been grounded for checks while the airport activated a secondary runway for continued operations.
On July 21, 2025, an Air India Airbus A320 encountered serious operational issues while landing at Mumbai International Airport amidst heavy rainfall. The aircraft was on flight AI2744, which originated from Kochi. After making contact with the runway, reports indicated that the plane skidded off course due to three tyres bursting upon landing, leading to the damage of the underside of one of its engines. This dangerous incident resulted in a temporary closure of the runway while investigations into the causes and conditions surrounding the landing were conducted. All passengers and crew members aboard the flight disembarked safely following the incident. The Mumbai airport authorities confirmed that there were only minor damages reported to the primary runway. To maintain operations, they swiftly activated a secondary runway, ensuring that airport functions continued despite the unexpected runway excursion. The aircraft involved in this incident has been grounded for thorough inspections and checks by Air India, which is standard procedure following such an operational mishap. There was no immediate confirmation from Air India regarding any injuries among the passengers or crew, but the incident raised significant concerns about the airline's safety protocols and operational reliability, particularly in light of previous incidents. The scrutiny surrounding Air India has intensified in recent months following a tragic crash involving its Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad last month, which resulted in the loss of 260 lives. In response to this earlier disaster, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency announced plans to investigate Air India Express for not complying with directives related to engine part replacements in a timely manner, as well as for allegedly falsifying records to indicate compliance with safety regulations. This recent incident at Mumbai International Airport may add to the mounting pressure on the airline to implement better safety measures and maintain operational integrity moving forward.