Himalaya Harbinger, Uttarakhand Bureau
Pilots of an Air India flight operating from Delhi to Indore on Sunday declared “mayday” before making an emergency landing back at the originating airport after reporting a fire indication in the right engine, sources said. Air India did not comment on the matter, however, airline officials said that the mayday call given by the pilot and was later withdrawn and informed to the ATC.
The Air India aircraft – operated with an A320 neo aircraft under callsign AI2913 – landed back in Delhi on Sunday after being airborne for over 30 minutes as the pilot received a “fire indication” in the right engine of the aircraft
Sources told HT that the pilots of the Air India plane had declared mayday, following which the air traffic control (ATC) in Delhi announced full emergency and put fire as well as rescue teams on standby.
Mayday call is recognised globally as a life-threatening emergency alert made via radio communication.
Fire indication in right engine
Pilots reported fire indication in the right engine (engine number 2) shortly after take off from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Sunday, sources said
Air India had confirmed that all passengers and crew members disembarked safely.
The airline arranged an alternate aircraft to Indore.
The affected aircraft was grounded for a detailed engineering inspection to determine the cause of the fire indication.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will review the incident, however, there is no response from the DGCA over the mayday call yet.
“Flight AI2913, operating from Delhi to Indore on August 31, air-returned to Delhi shortly after take off, as the cockpit crew received a fire indication for the right engine,” the Tata Group-owned airline said on Sunday without divulging further details.
Air India has amped up security checks on its fleet post the June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash in which its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft flying to Gatwick in London crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 passengers on board and several others on ground.
