Close shave for 400 passengers at Tvm Airport

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Around 400 passengers had a close shave at the International Airport here on Friday morning as a flight took off just seconds before another one landed on the runway.The Dubai-bound Emirates EK521, carrying 241 passengers, took off at 11.10 a.m. And seconds later, the Air Lanka flight UL 161 with 154 passengers on board landed on the runway creating  panic among the staff.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered a probe into the incident. The AAI has also assigned Joint GM (ATM) Shibu Robert to conduct an inquiry. However, the AAI officials dismissed the possibility of a miscalculation on the part of ATC. “There was one minute gap between the take off and landing of the flights. It’s quite common in  major airports where flights land and take off at short intervals,” said Airport director Chandramauli.According to an ATC official this was the first such incident in the Thiruvananthapuram airport. The delayed arrival of Air Lanka flight, which had 9.40 a.m. as  its scheduled time, led to the confusion, he said.