London-bound AI Flight Returns to Mumbai Airport After Technical Snag

Mumbai: The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai was kept on edge as passengers had a close shave in incidents involving two major flights on Wednesday. A London-bound Air India flight, which took off from Mumbai with 354 passengers, had to return to the city after the pilot reported a pressurisation issue in the cabin. In another incident, a city-bound Vistara flight from Delhi, carrying 165 persons, made an emergency landing due to a hydraulic failure. Both the planes landed safely much to the relief of airport officials.

An Air India Boeing 777 (VT-ALX) had an issue with its cabin depressurisation after taking off from Mumbai for London and safely returned to the origin. Flight tracking sites show the aircraft had taken off at 8.36 am and the crew decided to return from near Jaipur. The plane landed safely at Mumbai airport at 11.28 am and underwent precautionary checks.

“Air India flight AI129 operating from Mumbai to London made an air return to Mumbai due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely at Mumbai for precautionary checks. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to our guests due to this unexpected disruption,” Air India spokesperson said.

The airline arranged alternative flights for the passengers and offered full refunds to those who cancelled their tickets, the spokesperson said.

“We have already made alternative arrangements to fly the passengers to their destination. Guests have also been offered full refunds on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling to another date if so desired by them. At Air India, the safety and well-being of our customers and crew remains the top priority,” he added.

A Vistara flight requested a priority landing at the CSMIA owing to a minor technical snag. The aircraft landed safely and is currently undergoing inspection.

The flight UK 995 took off from Delhi Airport at 10.49 am and landed at the CSMIA 12.29 pm. “Shortly before landing, a minor technical snag was detected on Vistara flight UK 995 that was operating from Delhi to Mumbai,” a Vistara spokesperson said in a statement.

As a precautionary step, the pilots requested the Air Traffic Controller for ‘priority landing,’ and landed safely at CSMIA, Vistara said without sharing the number of people on board.

However, according to a source, there were around 165 people, including seven crew members, onboard the Airbus A320 Neo aircraft.

All customers deboarded the aircraft, which is undergoing necessary checks before resuming operations, Vistara said.