Saudia’s Haj flight causes alarm after smoke detected from wheels while landing at Lucknow airport  

A Saudia Airlines plane from Jeddah carrying 242 Haj pilgrims caused an alarm at the airport here on Sunday when smoke and sparks were detected from its wheels while landing, according to sources.

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The Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) team acted swiftly to contain the smoke, preventing any damage to the aircraft. All passengers were safely de-boarded and flight operations continued at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport.

UP's Minister of State for Minority Welfare and Chairman of the Haj Committee Danish Azad Ansari said on Monday that there was a "slight technical problem as some sparks were noticed from the wheel of the aircraft after landing".

"There was no problem during the journey. Everybody was comfortable. A minor problem was noticed after landing. All passengers have returned comfortably," he said in Ballia.

Sources told PTI, "Smoke was detected from the wheels of a Saudia aircraft that was bringing back 242 Haj Yatris from Jeddah."

"The ARFF team rushed to the spot. Working with the Saudia team, the smoke was contained and damage to the aircraft averted," they said, adding there was no impact on airport operations.

"The aircraft, an Airbus, will return to its destination today," sources added.

In response to a question, Ansari said that it is not appropriate to link the Lucknow incident with the Ahmedabad air crash.

"After landing, the air authority noticed some technical problems. The authorities resolved them. There was no problem anywhere. About 14,000 Haj pilgrims went from Uttar Pradesh. This Haj pilgrimage started 50 days ago. We are monitoring it every day. We are ensuring that there is no problem anywhere," Ansari said.

"Everything is being done efficiently. All precautions have been taken there. During the Haj pilgrimage, everything from ambulance to fire brigade and other resources are available," he said.