Hyderabad: An IndiGo flight made an emergency landing at the Shamshabad airport after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. This is the second emergency landing at the airport, after a Trujet aircraft that was drenched in fuel was forced to return to Hyderabad on Monday.
The A320neo aircraft carrying 155 passengers was heading to the city from Delhi and was scheduled to land at 5.15 pm.
The pilot on IndiGo Flight 6E6679 noticed the smoke after he made the announcement on board regarding landing in Hyderabad. He alerted the air traffic control about the situation as the cause of the smoke was not known. A full emergency was called at the airport and the fire brigade, rescue experts and medical personnel were on standby as the aircraft landed. The landing was uneventful and all passengers were safely evacuated from the aircraft.
Ground engineers and maintenance staff of the airline rushed in to check the reason for the smoke inside the cockpit.
Indigo Airlines in a press statement stated that the emergency call to the airport authorities was given as a measure of caution and to expedite landing. The inspection by the engineering team confirmed that all engine functionalities and parameters were fine.
The root cause of the smoke in the cockpit was the malfunctioning of an exhaust fan of the air conditioning system. The airline has stated that the component will be replaced and that the aeroplane will be in operation after the clearances are done.
