Chennai, Oct 11 (IANS): An Air India Express flight to Sharjah that took off from Tamil Nadu's Tirchy International Airport at 5.40 p.m. landed back safely after developing a technical snag, an official said on Friday.

Shortly after takeoff, the flight encountered a technical issue and had to circle above the airport for more than two and a half hours before landing to reduce the aircraft's weight by burning off the fuel.

Airport officials told IANS that ambulances and firefighters were ready at the airport for an emergency landing of the flight.

Airport Director Gopalakrishnan said that 20 ambulances and 18 fire engines were placed 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.

Tirchy 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.

More details are awaited.