New Delhi: Air India flight returns to Delhi after engine issue
An Air India Boeing 777 flying to Mumbai had to return to Delhi airport on Monday after one of its two engines developed a technical snag shortly after take-off, prompting the civil aviation regulator to order a probe into the latest incident involving the airline and its subsidiaries.
Pilots observed a low engine oil pressure on the B777-300ER aircraft’s right-hand engine during flaps retraction after take-off. The pressure shortly thereafter dropped to zero and the crew shut down the engine and turned back as per procedure, the Directorate General of Civil aviation said.
Following a safe landing, all passengers were safely disembarked and alternative travel arrangements were initiated, the airline said in a statement.
“The crew operating flight AI887 from Delhi to Mumbai on 22 December decided to return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a technical issue as per standard operating procedure…Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused due to this unforeseen situation. The aircraft is undergoing the necessary checks, “ the airline said.
The aircraft is 15 years old and has flown to locations such as Vienna, Vancouver and Chicago, according to Flightradar24.
The Union civil aviation ministry took cognisance and sought a detailed report from the airline, while directing the civil aviation regulator to initiate a probe. “The Ministry has sought a detailed report from Air India, and DGCA has been directed to conduct a thorough investigation… Passenger safety remains paramount,” the ministry said.
“Inspection/rectification is in progress. The incident would be investigated by the permanent Investigation Board of the Airline under the supervision of the Director of Air Safety(NR),” the DGCA said.
Air India has been under increased scrutiny after a Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport in June, killing 260 people.
In November, an Air India A320 was found to have flown multiple commercial flights without a valid airworthiness certificate; DGCA suspended airline staff and order a detailed internal audit, underscoring regulatory concerns over compliance and documentation.
On August 31, an Air India flight from Delhi to Indore was forced to return shortly after take-off following a fire indication in one of its engines, while another Air India international flight landed safely in Birmingham after its emergency RAM air turbine was deployed mid-air on October 5.
More recently, in December, an Air India Express flight operating between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam was cancelled after a technical issue was detected before departure, prompting the airline to ground the aircraft as a precautionary measure.
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