CHENNAI: Panic gripped residents near Chennai airport on Wednesday (February 11) after an aircraft was seen circling in the sky for over two hours from afternoon till evening.
The aircraft repeatedly flew in circles and at times descended as if preparing to land, before suddenly climbing back to higher altitude and continuing to circle.
At Chennai airport, runway maintenance work is usually carried out on Tuesdays and Saturdays between 2.30 pm and 4.30 pm, during which aircraft are required to circle before landing. However, as it was Wednesday and no maintenance work was scheduled, the sight of the aircraft circling triggered concern among the public.
Chennai airport officials clarified that it was a private training aircraft. The training exercise had been conducted after obtaining prior permission from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
A check on flight tracking website Flightradar showed that aircraft had circled more than ten times over the area.
Suspecting that the aircraft might be in danger, some members of the public contacted the police and fire and rescue services. Television channels, newspapers and news agencies were also informed.