CHENNAI: An IndiGo Airlines passenger flight to Hyderabad from Chennai was forced to return and make an emergency landing at the Chennai International Airport on Sunday, following a sudden mid-air engine malfunction.
All 165 people on board – 159 passengers and 6 crew members – are safe. The flight, scheduled to depart Chennai at 3:40 pm and arrive in Hyderabad by 5:00 pm, was flying over Nellore in Andhra Pradesh when the technical issue occurred.
The pilot promptly detected the engine trouble and immediately contacted Chennai Air Traffic Control (ATC), which instructed the pilot to return immediately for an emergency landing. At around 4:30 pm, the flight made an emergency landing safely.
A Thai Airways flight scheduled to depart for Bangkok early this morning was cancelled after pilots detected a critical engine malfunction during pre-flight checks, an incident potentially saving 174 lives, including the crew. The flight was due to depart for the Thai capital at 1:10 am, when the pilot identified a serious engine issue and grounded the aircraft, mandating repairs before it could fly again.
Despite efforts by engineering teams through the early hours, the fault could not be rectified, leading to cancellation. All 164 passengers bound for Bangkok were initially accommodated in airport lounges and have since been provided hotel accommodation within Chennai city.