A London-bound flight of Virgin Atlantic made an "emergency landing" at the Kempegowda International Airport in Karnataka's capital Bengaluru following a technical glitch, said officials on Sunday. The flight made the 'emergency landing' shortly after taking off.
According to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the flight was carrying 270 passengers and it took off from the airport around 8.20 am, but developed a technical glitch that forced it land back immediately. The crew had circled the aircraft near Tumakuru for more than half an hour before returning to Bengaluru.
The BIAL said the flight made the emergency landing as a safety precaution and "all passengers on board are safe." However, the BIAL did not clarify what kind of technical problem the flight developed and a probe has been launched by the authorities.
Meanwhile, the Virgin Atlantic has not issued a statement as of now.
Air India Express flight's precautionary landing in Lucknow
Earlier this week, a flight of the Air India Express that was flying from Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi to Delhi was also forced to make a precautionary landing at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) in Lucknow.
The incident happened on Thursday when a smoke detection alarm went off in the aircraft's cargo hold, forcing the crew to make the precautionary landing in Lucknow. However, no sign of smoke or fire was found by officials during preliminary checks.
The flight IX 1253 was carrying 155 passengers and took off from Varanasi airport around 8 am. However, it made the precautionary landing in Lucknow at 8.52 am. Later, ire brigade personnel and technical experts reached the aircraft, and the passengers and the crew were deboarded at 9:02 am.
An Air India Express spokesperson said the crew operating the Varanasi-Delhi flight, prioritising passenger safety, opted for a precautionary diversion to Lucknow after a technical issue was detected.
The aircraft landed safely and all passengers were provided refreshments upon arrival at Lucknow airport. An alternative aircraft was arranged on priority to take the passengers to their destination, the airline said, adding that a probe was launched to find why the smoke detection alarm went off.
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