Air India flight carrying over 100 passengers lands at under-construction Maldives runway

An Air India plane carrying over 100 passengers has in error landed at an under-construction airport on a small Maldives island, damaging its wheels and brake assemblies.

The Airbus A320 Neo aircraft was carry 136 passengers from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram airport to Velana International Airport on the Island of Hulhulé when it landed on the wrong runway.

All passengers and crew were safe following the landing but as a result of the "serious incident" the plane's two pilots have been "off-rostered" pending investigation.

An airline spokesperson said it is likely the breaks were applied, damaging the tyres, when the pilots realised they had landed at the "uncommissioned runway”.

The spokesman added: "The local authorities are conducting a probe."

This is the second incident in a month involving an Indian Airline.

In August, the two pilots on a Jet Airways flight carrying nearly 150 passengers attempted take-off from Riyadh airport in Saudi Arabia on a taxiway instead of the runway.