An Indigo flight bound for Imphal was forced to return to Delhi shortly after takeoff after the pilots detected a minor technical snag, the airline confirmed in a statement released on Thursday. The flight turned back and landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.
Pilots decided to make a U-turn
According to the officials, a technical snag on the flight was detected as soon as the flight took off from the Delhi airport today, following which the pilots decided to make a U-turn to Delhi as a precautionary measure.
The aircraft was inspected and cleared for takeoff after safety checks. However, the number of passengers on board has not been disclosed.
What did the airline say?
IndiGo Spokesperson in a statement said, "A minor technical snag was detected soon after take-off on flight 6E 5118 operating from Delhi to Imphal. As a precautionary step, the pilots decided to turn back and landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi."
"In line with the mandatory procedures, the aircraft underwent necessary checks and resumed the journey shortly thereafter. Inconvenience caused to our customers is regretted. As always, safety and security of the customers, crew, and aircraft are of utmost importance to us," the Spokesperson added.
Goa-bound IndiGo flight made emergency landing
Earlier on Wednesday, a Goa-bound IndiGo flight from Delhi made an emergency landing in Mumbai after being diverted due to a mid-air engine failure.
The plane operated by Airbus A320neo had 191 people on board, which took off from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport to Goa Airport, but due to an engine failure in mid-air, it had to make an emergency landing in Mumbai. The flight landed safely at 9:53 pm.
Mumbai airport officials said the incident occurred when the IndiGo flight was flying about 100 nautical miles north of Bhubaneswar. "The pilot declared 'pan pan pan' (an urgent message indicating a non-life-threatening emergency) due to a malfunction in engine number 1," an official said.
IndiGo, in a statement, said a "technical snag" forced the aircraft to be diverted to Mumbai. "A technical snag was detected on flight 6E 6271 while flying from Delhi to Manohar International Airport, Goa on July 16. Following procedures, the aircraft was diverted and landed at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai," the IndiGo spokesperson said.
"While the aircraft will undergo necessary checks and maintenance before resuming operations, an alternative aircraft has been arranged for completing the journey, which will depart shortly with the customers," the spokesperson said.
Also Read: Delhi-Goa IndiGo flight suffers engine failure midair, makes emergency landing in Mumbai
