Thiruvananthapuram | An Air India Express flight from Tiruchirappalli to Sharjah with 154 passengers on board faced technical difficulties shortly after take-off on Monday and was diverted to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport here where it landed safely, airport sources said.

While the airport authority declared a full emergency at the International Airport, AI Express said it was a precautionary landing.

The flight, IX 613, with 154 passengers and six crew onboard departed from Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu at around 10:45 AM.

The flight landed safely at Thiruvananthapuram at 12:01 PM, an Air India spokesperson said.

"Flight IX613, operating between Tiruchirappalli and Sharjah on 31 July 2023, made a precautionary landing at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The decision was taken due to a technical snag post-takeoff. The airline clarifies that this was not an emergency landing," Air India Express Spokesperson said.

The airlines informed that it was making alternative arrangements for the travel of the passengers and expressed regret for the inconvenience caused.

Meanwhile, the airport authority also informed that the Thiruvananthapuram-Bahrain Air India Express flight, IX 573, with 180 passengers, abandoned takeoff due to technical reasons at 11:06 AM.