A Qatar Airways flight QR516 from Doha to Kochi, India skidded off the runway while landing at the Cochin International Airport early on Friday due to heavy rains, the airline said.

The airline published a statement on its twitter that said the plane skidded during “landing roll” due to heavy rain and water on the runway at the Kochi airport, damaging a few runway lights.

The aircraft taxied normally to the stand, the Doha-based carrier said, adding that due to this incident, the return flight from Kochi to Doha – QR517 – was cancelled.

The passengers from QR517 were accommodated on later flights.

“Qatar Airways is fully co-operating with local authorities. The safety and security of our passengers is our top priority,” the statement noted.

Airport Director A C K Nair told IANS that all the passengers were safe.

“The aircraft was well on the runway but missed the alignment… All the passengers are safe,” he said.