Two Air India (AI) flights, one from Bangkok and the other from Dubai, made emergency landings at the international airport in Delhi Monday after developing technical problems, officials said, according to dpa. All passengers on the Shanghai-Bangkok-Delhi flight AI-349 and Dubai-Delhi AI-736 disembarked safely, an official of the Airports Authority of India said. The Bangkok flight landed in emergency conditions after developing a snag in its landing gear, Air India said in a statement. The pilot managed to land safely, but the nose wheel collapsed while the aircraft was being towed away after the passengers disembarked. The Airbus A310 blocked the main runway, disrupting air traffic for several hours. The incident occurred at around 6.30 am local time. At around 3.15 pm, the Dubai flight landed in similar emergency conditions after the Boeing 767 developed what the official termed hydraulic problems. Air India's fleet comprises 47 aircraft, largely ageing 747 and 767 Boeings and Airbus 310-300. The national carrier has placed orders with Boeing for 68 new aircraft. A phased introduction began in November 2006 and is expected to be completed by 2012. Air India is one of the two state-owned airlines in India, the other being Indian, which flies mostly in the domestic sector. The Indian government announced in March that the two airlines were to be merged over the next two years to make them more viable.
