A SpiceJet flight with 150 passengers onboard was forced to return to Delhi airport shortly after take off on Tuesday following an engine failure, sources said. Flight SG121 had departed from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport when the crew detected a technical problem in one of the engines. As a precaution, the pilots decided to turn the aircraft around and head back to Delhi.
An emergency was declared at the airport to ensure priority landing and the availability of medical and fire services, according to sources familiar with the development. Around 150 passengers were reported to be on board the Boeing 737 aircraft at the time of the incident. An airline spokesperson said a flight operating from Delhi to Leh on Tuesday returned to Delhi after experiencing a technical issue.
The aircraft departed at 6.08 am and landed at 6.49 am. In line with standard procedure, Delhi airport activated all arrangements required for an emergency landing.
“There was no fire warning in the cockpit,” a SpiceJet spokesperson said.
"The aircraft landed safely in Delhi, and all passengers were disembarked normally," the spokesperson said in a statement. Further inspections of the aircraft are expected to be carried out by maintenance teams.
SpiceJet working to expand fleet
Last week, SpiceJet said that it is working to expand its fleet to about 60 aircraft through a combination of wet and damp leases, along with bringing grounded planes back into service in phases.
The airline’s domestic market share increased to 4.3 per cent in December from 1.9 per cent in September last year, driven by a 56 per cent rise in capacity during the December quarter, according to a company release. The carrier aims to more than double its capacity, targeting 220 crore Available Seat Kilometres by Winter 2026.
“The airline is working towards ramping up its fleet to around 60 aircraft through a mix of wet and damp leases, along with the phased return to service of existing grounded aircraft,” the release said.
