KOCHI: Unexpected crosswinds forced a Qatar Airways flight to land 20 metres off the centre of the runway at the Nedumbassery airport near here around 2.20am on Friday, resulting in damages to the runway.The Qatar Airways flight (QR 516) from Doha, with 306 passengers on board, was in the final stage of landing when the incident took place.According to airport officials, the weather conditions were acceptable when the aircraft had started its landing procedures. But there was an adverse weather build-up immediately prior to touch down, they said.“Later observation revealed that there was a sudden weather build-up almost on the runway, with heavy rain and crosswind, causing the aircraft to touch down few meters off the pre-designated central line,” said an airport official.Twelve lights fitted on the edge of the runway were damaged as the flight landed 20 metres to the right of the runway’s centre line. The pilot immediately corrected course and got it back on track. The aircraft was finally parked at its designated spot.Airport officials said that the passengers onboard were mostly unaware of the incident and deplaned as per usual procedures.The aircraft’s return trip to Doha, scheduled at 4am, was cancelled due to the incident. The passengers were accommodated in another Qatar Airways flight that left at 9.30am, said sources.The Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) immediately cleared the debris and replaced the broken lights and the runway was ready for operations at 3.40am, said a source. Airport officials said that no passengers were injured and no flight had to be diverted due to the incident.“Two flights –– a Fly Dubai flight bound for Dubai and an incoming Emirates flight ––were delayed by a few minutes,” said Cial spokesperson.The aircraft involved in the incident was later inspected by flight engineers and cleared for take off. It was flown back to Doha around 5pm.Cial officials said that, as per protocol, a detailed investigation would be conducted into the incident. The DGCA will also conduct a detailed investigation.In a similar incident this year, a Sri Lankan Airways flight from Colombo with 248 passengers had landed a meter away from its designated path due to strong crosswinds and heavy rain at 3.55pm on May 27. The incident had resulted in the disruption of operations of Cial for around 50 minutes.

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