A wheel of a Lufthansa A380 aircraft from Munich caught fire during landing at Delhi's IGI airport on Monday night, PTI reported, citing sources. The flight, which was carrying around 490 passengers, made a controlled landing and ensured a safe arrival at the airport. The aircraft, however, required thorough checks following the fire incident, and the unavailability of spare parts led to the cancellation of the return flight to Munich.
Speaking about the incident, a spokesperson of the airline said, "While LH762 landed safely in Delhi, a short-term technical deregistration of the aircraft was required due to the lack of availability of spare parts after a controlled landing. Safety is our top priority at Lufthansa."
The return flight LH 763 was cancelled even after boarding passes were issued to the passengers, PTI sources further stated. The Lufthansa spokesperson said that the aircraft DAIMC is scheduled to operate flight LH 763 from Delhi to Munich on July 3.
Meanwhile, in another incident that took place on Monday, a 24-year-old Indian woman who was travelling from Melbourne to New Delhi on a Qantas flight died on the spot after she developed a medical condition while the aircraft was still on the ground, PTI reported, citing a media report on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Manpreet Kaur. She boarded the aircraft ready to fly from Melbourne to Delhi on June 20 and died onboard after the student reportedly “felt unwell” hours before arriving at the airport but managed to board the flight without any issues.
According to a friend, Kaur was travelling to India to see her parents for the first time since she moved to Australia in March 2020, PTI reported. The friend stated that Kaur fell on the floor and “died on the spot” when she went to put on her seatbelt. The plane was still attached to the gate in Melbourne when cabin crew and emergency services rushed to help her.