Narrow escape: Aircraft carrying Himachal deputy CM misses landing at Shimla's Jubbarhatti Airport

An aircraft carrying over 30 passengers, including Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri and Director General of Police Atul Verma, from Delhi missed the landing spot at Jubbarhatti Airport Monday morning. According to eyewitnesses, the aircraft crossed the runway and hit the studs at the edge of the airstrip.

The flight had taken off from Delhi after routine checks and engineers are inspecting the aircraft to determine if there was a technical glitch, airport authorities said.

"The runway is small and we cannot deny this fact. As a layman, I can say that while landing, the plane did not touch the ground where it was supposed to and came to the end of the airstrip," Agnihotri told reporters.


"Only the airport authority or the Directorate General of Civil Aviation can tell what happened, but I can say that there was a problem in landing," he said, adding, "We could see that the runway was ending."

Agnihotri said all passengers stayed on the plane for about 20-25 minutes and the Dharamshala flight was cancelled.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said he would speak to the Civil Aviation minister to discuss the matter. "I have been told that the emergency brakes had to be applied after the tyre burst and I would speak to the civil aviation minister in this regard."

Jubbarhatti Airport, situated about 15 km from the state capital, has a 1,230-metre airstrip and is considered one of the most challenging airports due to its tabletop structure, where the runway is perched on an elevated plateau with steep drops on both sides.