Air India plane smashes into wall and continues flying

An Air India plane has smashed into a brick wall and scraped its underbelly, before remarkably attempting to continue its journey to Dubai.

The Boeing 737 plane departed from Trichy to Dubai on Friday where just after take-off around 1.30am it collided with an airport perimeter wall.

Photos shared on Twitter show the aircraft’s fuselage had been torn open, with a deep gash exposing the aircraft’s framework. 

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Local journalists report the plan was travelling at 250km/h when it rammed into the wall. 

Despite the audible hit, the pilot continued flying the plane, 130 passengers and six crew members across the Indian ocean and halfway to Dubai. 

However, after two hours ground control ordered the plane to turn around and land in Mumbai. 

Four hours after the collision, the plane landed safety with no injuries or casualties.  

The two pilots have been grounded. 

India's national carrier said in a statement the plane was diverted as a “precautionary measure”.

“(The aircraft) might have come in contact with the airport perimeter wall," the statement added. 

Air India says it has reported the crash to the aviation regulator and is "cooperating with the investigation".

The plane was operated by Air India’s low-cost wing, Air India Express. 

Many have taken to Twitter to condemn the pilot’s decision to continue flying. 

“I will never fly Air India, can not believe this pilot was unaware of the danger he put his crew and passengers in,” one user wrote.

“Air India. I admire this pilots nonchalance and insouciant attitude,” another joked.

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The incident comes weeks after a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur was forced to turn back after around 30 passengers complained of nose and ear bleeds due to low pressure in the cabin.

An official with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told CNN affiliate CNN News 18 that the crew allegedly forgot to press a button to pressurise the cabin.

The government put Air India on the auction block last year, but it failed to attract buyers.