149 people on board a Mumbai-bound Jet Airways flight from Riyadh had a lucky escape as the aircraft skidded off the runway following an aborted take-off on Friday.
In a statement, the Jet Airways said, “Our flight 9W523 with 142 guests and 7 crew members from Riyadh to Mumbai of 3rd August aborted takeoff and departed the runway at Riyadh Airport. All our guests and crew have been evacuated safely with no reported injuries.”
All passengers were evacuated safely and no injuries were reported, the airline said in a tweet, adding, the exact cause of the incident is under investigation. It said, “Guests have been accommodated inside the terminal building. Our teams present at the location are assisting guests in every possible way.”
In a separate tweet, the airline said, “Currently the event involving flight 9W 523 is being investigated by the local regulatory authorities and our teams are providing full co-operation as necessary. At Jet Airways the safety of our guests and crew is of paramount importance.”
The airline also said that it was working to make alternate travel arrangements for its guests from Riyadh. “Our flight operations across the network including services to and from Riyadh remain unaffected,” it said.
Sources said the acceleration gained during the take off could have steered the aircraft beyond the runway even when the pilot would have applied procedures to abort take off.
According to the airline, a ‘predominant number of the 142 guests on board flight 9W 523’ have either returned to their local residence or have been accommodated in hotels. “Our team continues to offer complete support and assistance to 41 guests, who together with our crew, are currently in the airport lounge, as they await recovery of their travel documents from the aircraft.”