Air India Express flight makes emergency landing after engine fire
A Kozhikode-bound Air India Express flight returned to Abu Dhabi airport shortly after take-off as flames were detected in one of the engines, informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). According to ANI, the airline notified on Friday that the flight landed safely and all passengers were safe. The DGCA also revealed that 184 passengers were on the Air India Express flight.
Why does this story matter?
This new aviation incident comes to light at a time when Indian carriers are under scrutiny over numerous midflight mishaps. The most notable mid-air incident involved a drunk Mumbai man—named Shankar Mishra—who allegedly urinated on a female co-passenger in November on Air India's New York-Delhi flight. This and numerous other happenings have triggered a major row.
Pilot detected flame in one of the engines: Airline official
An Air India Express official informed that the captain spotted an engine fire and immediately made the decision to return to the airport for an emergency landing. "Soon after taking off and climbing to 1,000 feet, the pilot detected a flame in one of the engines and decided to go back to Abu Dhabi airport," an airline official told the news agency ANI.
DGCA provides update on matter
Later, India's civil aviation regulator also revealed that the Air India Express B737-800 Kozhikode-bound aircraft made a U-turn and returned back to the Abu Dhabi airport. "Today, an Air India Express B737-800 aircraft VT-AYC operating flight IX 348 (Abu Dhabi-Calicut) was involved in Airturnback due to the No. 1 engine flameout at 1,000 ft during the climb," DGCA added.
DGCA's statement after the mid-flight incident
Later, India's civil aviation regulator also revealed that the Kozhikode-bound Air India Express B737-800 aircraft made a U-turn due to an engine flameout at 1,000 feet. "Today, an Air India Express B737-800 aircraft VT-AYC operating flight IX 348 (Abu Dhabi-Calicut) was involved in Airturnback due to the No. 1 engine flameout at 1,000 ft during the climb," added DGCA.
Some recent incidents on Air India Express flights
This recent incident happened a few weeks after the January 23 incident, when an Air India Express Trivandrum-Muscat flight landed 45 minutes after take-off over a technical glitch. The Flight Management System (FMS) reportedly experienced a glitch, per numerous reports. "The flight took off from Trivandrum at 8.30 am and landed back at 9.17 am," officials said.
Snake on Air India Express's Dubai-bound flight
In December last year, a snake was found on the same airline's Dubai-bound plane. A Boeing B-737 aircraft of Air India Express took off from Calicut as scheduled and landed in Dubai, after which the crew reported a snake on board the flight. The aviation body informed that the DGCA had also ordered a thorough investigation into the matter.
