Official sources at the Indian Airlines Vadodara station and the airport said the snag -- a deflated tyre -- was detected immediately after landing; in accordance with the rules, the plane was grounded, its passengers lodged in hotels, and allowed to take off only at 4.45 pm after two wheels had been replaced. This is the second such instance in the past five years.

Sources said that the pilot noticed, as the plane was taxiing towards the apron, that one of the two tyres on the starboard side was without pressure. Apparently, the nitrogen gas of one wheel had escaped, deflating the tyre and rendering the plane unfit to take off. However, the plane has a set of spare tyres for the sides; only one is necessary, so the aircraft was not in any danger.

IA station manager B S Dhani, while insisting that the flaw was minor, refused to comment in detail on the issue and said the engineer had detected the flaw and denied permission for take-off.

Sources say that after the Airbus A-320, the 12-odd 737 Boeing-200s (more than two decades old) were showing snags with increasing frequency. Dhani, however, reacted sharply to this, saying they were the best in the country in terms of safety and comfort.