Chennai, Oct 11 (IANS): Tamil Nadu's Trichy International Airport is preparing for an emergency landing of an Air India Express flight that departed to Sharjah on Friday but sought to return after facing a technical glitch, officials said.

Airport officials told IANS that ambulances and firefighters are ready at the airport for an emergency landing of the flight, due in 15 minutes.

Airport Director Gopalakrishnan said that 20 ambulances and 18 fire engines are in place at the airport for an emergency landing. He also said that all emergency landing protocols have been activated.

According to sources, there was a technical malfunction onboard an Air India flight from Trichy to Sharjah with 141 passengers on board.

The flight, which took off from Tiruchi airport at 5.40 p.m., faced hydraulic issues shortly after takeoff, causing the plane’s landing gear to malfunction and preventing the wheels from retracting. The pilot declared an emergency and initiated safety protocols, which included circling the Trichy airspace for over an hour to reduce the aircraft's fuel weight, a necessary step for a safe emergency landing.

All 141 passengers are reported to be safe, and Air India has assured that every measure is being taken to resolve the situation smoothly.

Tiruchi District Collector told media persons that the ambulances and fire tenders were kept ready as a standby and that the administration is ready for any emergency situation.