Air India flights nail difficult landing in London during fierce storm, video viral
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London: The live broadcast of two Air India flights managing to land safely and smoothly despite gusty conditions in Heathrow airport during Stor Eunice has gone viral, with many online appreciating the tenacity and skill of the pilots to land in such conditions.
The landing was live-streamed by YouTube channel Big Jet TV which livestreams landing and take-offs of planes at Heathrow, with commentator Jerry Dyers describing each and every movement of the aircraft.
According to reports, the flights landed at Heathrow on Friday afternoon. One Dreamliner AI-147 was from Hyderabad and had Anchit Bhardwaj as the captain; the other AI-145 was from Goa and Aditya Rao was the captain. The cockpit crew on the two flights included first officers Capt Rahul Gupta, Capt Sushant Tare, commander Capt Manmath Routray and trainee commander Capt V Roopa.
As one of the flights descend, the commentator says, "...looks like he's got it. Winds are gusting. Yeah, very skilled Indian pilot there."
The feat has won accolades from other airline staff as well as netizens.
"It looks like a job well done. Though the Dreamliner did rock a bit, given the weather system the footage shows that the aircraft was stable during the last 100 feet," an anonymous Boeing 777 senior captain was quoted as saying by Times of India.
Storm Eunice is pounding on northwest Europe with at least 16 fatalities owing to falling trees and flying debris caused by strong winds in Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Poland. The United Kingdom issued a red weather warning on Friday and hundreds of other flights were cancelled or delayed at Heathrow and Gatwick, and Schiphol in Amsterdam.