BENGALURU : An Alliance Air flight from Bengaluru to Hyderabad, in which Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje was among 33 other passengers, developed a technical snag before take-off and returned to the parking bay on Sunday evening.
An alternative flight was arranged by the airline for all the passengers, which took off nearly two hours later. The incident occurred a little before 6.45 pm when flight no 9I-517, an ATR 72-600 aircraft, was about to depart from the parking bay. The flight was originally scheduled to reach Hyderabad by 8.45 pm.
Confirming the incident, a senior Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official told The New Indian Express, “Flight 9I-517 was involved in ramp return at Bengaluru due to DC Generator fault.” According to a statement from Alliance Air, “Due to technical reasons, the aircraft was pushed back. Another Alliance Air aircraft was arranged which took off at 8.36 pm.”
The airline did not give any further details, but according to aviation experts, continuity of electric power to all load distribution circuits is crucial for electrical systems in modern aircraft through take-off, during flight and while landing. Any fault detected has to be urgently dealt with to avoid any serious consequences, which could be the reason for the flight being brought back to the bay to rectify the snag.
A statement from Karandlaje’s office said that airline authorities reached out to her as she was a Union Minister, and explained the technical issues while requesting her to alight and wait in the VIP lounge till further arrangements were made. However, “She politely refused the offer of airlines/airport officials and requested them to make necessary arrangements for each and every passenger in the plane and said she would be the last person to leave the flight.”
Responding to this gesture by the Minister, Alliance Air added, “We deeply appreciate the humble gesture by Minister Ms Shobha Karandlaje. Her kind consideration is exemplary and inspiring for all flyers and for us as an airline.”