VIA runway closed after aircraft tyre burst; flights diverted
The aircraft was towed away and the runway reopened for flight operations around 6pm.
The runway at the Maldives' main Velana International Airport (VIA) was closed for about three and a half hours after a Flydubai aircraft had a tyre burst on landing Tuesday afternoon.
Airport operator Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) said on Twitter that an aircraft ground incident was declared at the airport due to a tyre burst from an aircraft during landing.
"Passengers and crew are safe. The runway is temporarily closed and we are working to resume normal operations. The estimated time for runway closure is until 1700hrs," the tweet read.
Multiple aircraft were on hold and at least five had been diverted as the Boeing 737 suffered the tyre burst on landing around 2.45pm.
The aircraft was towed away and the runway reopened for flight operations around 6pm.
