Days after the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered Air India to implement corrective measures after the airline deployed the wrong aircraft for a flight to Vancouver in Canada, which led to it turning back to Delhi in a 7-hour-long journey to nowhere, another Delhi-bound Air India flight made an emergency landing in Lucknow following a smoke alarm.
The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of the Tata Group-owned airline due to recent flight incidents.
Emergency landing after fire scare onboard
The flight (IX1523), operated by an Airbus A320, was diverted to Lucknow on Monday evening after the pilot issued a "Mayday" call, an internationally recognised distress signal used in life threatening emergencies, following detection of smoke in the avionics bay, which houses critical aviation electronics.
According to sources, Air Traffic Control in Lucknow was alerted about the diversion, and the aircraft landed safely at around 5.18 pm.
A total of 148 people, including 6 crew members, were on board the flight, and all passengers were safely evacuated after landing.
Following the incident, the aircraft was declared “Aircraft on Ground” (AOG), a technical term indicating that the plane has been grounded due to a fault requiring immediate inspection and repair before it can resume operations.
Air India's Canada flight fiasco
The DGCA had asked Air India to take corrective measures after the airline deployed the wrong aircraft for a Vancouver flight on March 19.
A senior official told PTI that action was also taken against an airline official over the incident.
The Vancouver-bound flight, operated by a Boeing 777-200LR, had been airborne for more than 7 hours before returning to Delhi after it was discovered that the aircraft was not approved for the route. Approval for the flight is only granted to the Boeing 777 300 ER.
The issue was reportedly caused by a lapse in updating the list of operational requirements for flights to Canada, leading to the deployment of the incorrect aircraft. Following the incident, the DGCA sought a detailed report from the airline.
