The correct answer is:
a) had already landed
Explanation:
This is the most appropriate choice because it uses the past perfect tense (‘had already landed’), which is used to describe an action that was completed before another past action or time. In this context, it indicates that the flight’s arrival occurred prior to the speaker’s arrival at Terminal 2.
The past perfect is ideal here because:
1. It clearly establishes the sequence of events (flight landing, then arrival at terminal).
2. It emphasizes the completed nature of the landing.
3. It’s commonly used in English to express ‘earlier past’ actions.
Options b) and d) use continuous tenses, which imply an ongoing action and are incorrect for a completed event like landing. Option c) uses simple past, which doesn’t effectively convey the idea that the landing preceded the arrival at the terminal.