NEW DELHI: In a second instance of a major technical glitch on board an Air India flight within ten days, the pilots of an A320 flight from Bangkok to New Delhi were forced to abort the journey on Thursday (August 13) evening due to a hydraulic malfunction detected by the cockpit crew as it was approaching the runway at Bangkok airport. The pilot informed on the public address system from his cockpit that the aircraft had a hydraulic failure, according to a business class passenger on board. An airline source conceded “a hydraulic malfunction” took place on the plane but added the pilot was not supposed to announce it!
Most of the passengers were finally flown back to Delhi 24 hours after their scheduled departure.
A hydraulic malfunction refers to a failure within the fluid systems in theflight. It causes sluggish movement of the plane and a serious malfunction even causes a total shutdown of the equipment.
Flight AI 2335, with over 250 passengers, was scheduled to take off at 6.25 pm Bangkok time (4.55 pm India time) on Thursday. The plane finally took off at 7 pm local time on Friday.
Rajiv Gambhir, a Delhi-based businessman seated on 1C, who is also the owner of an aircraft, told this reporter, “The flight was moving for take-off when we heard a loud screeching halt. It was forceful as if the brakes were being applied suddenly. The plane came to a complete halt. The pilot then announced on the public address from the cockpit that there has been a hydraulic failure and they had to carry out some checks. This filled me and many others with fear because we had recently read reports of hydraulic failure concerning the Air India Phuket flight.”
The flight was left standing on one of the side bays near the runway. “Rescue vehicles and even ambulances came rushing towards the aircraft. There was considerable impact due to the sudden halt. Since the flight was gearing for take-off, almost everyone had their seat belts on and this may have saved them from getting injured,” Gambhir said.
The flyers were made to sit for over 90 minutes inside the plane. “We were later told to deboard the plane and taken back to the terminal. No snacks were provided inside but we were given water. Later, we were all taken to the terminal. The six of us in business class were allowed inside the business lounge. We were later allowed to board another flight to Delhi by 11 pm (local time) there the same night,” he added.
Though upset over the cancelled trip, there was a sense of relief among many that the plane did not take-off with the technical issue, he added.
An airline source confirmed that there was a technical issue on board the Bangkok plane.”It was a hydraulic malfunction which occurred. It was rectified within three hours after the incident. The Flight Duty Time Limitations came into play and so the crew were not able to fly to Delhi. Many passengers preferred to stay the night there and we offered them hotel accommodation. The issue was set right and the passengers returned the next day to Delhi,” he said.