Himachal Dy CM Mukesh Agnihotri, DGP Atul Verma, and 30 others have narrow escape as flight makes emergency landing at Shimla Airport

Speaking to the media, Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri said, “The flight did not land at the designated spot, nor did it stop where it was supposed to. I would rather say that the runway at Shimla Airport fell short for the landing. DGP Atul Verma was also on board, along with around 30 other passengers. Indeed, it was an emergency landing.”

Agnihotri, who had travelled to Delhi on Saturday, added, “The flight landed at Shimla Airport at 8.20 am. An announcement was made that we would be taken to the airport terminal in taxis, but later, the aircraft took a turn and reached its designated parking spot.”

According to sources at Shimla Airport, the aircraft was immediately grounded for inspection following the incident. The issue arose during the plane’s descent when the pilot reported a malfunction in the braking system.

Deputy CM Agnihotri, who was on board, described the tense moments after the landing. Recounting his experience, he said, “We reached Shimla by flight this morning. There was some issue with the landing… I don’t know the technical details, but as a layman, I can say that when the plane was about to land, it did not touch down where it should have. It failed to stop and reached the end of the runway.”

Later, Mukesh Agnihotri also described the morning’s incident during the ongoing budget session in the Assembly. Replying to a question from BJP MLA Trilok Jamwal pertaining to the Bhanupalli-Bilaspur-Berri railway line in Bilaspur district, Agnihotri said, “…besides working on the railway lines, we also need to work on the expansion of runways and airports. The situation I and our respected DGP went through today morning, I believe everyone sitting here knows.”