NEW DELHI: An Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from New Delhi to Indore, carrying over 100 passengers, made a safe priority landing at Indore airport on Friday morning after the cockpit crew detected a clogged engine oil filter.
IX 1038 had departed from IGIA at 8.38 am instead of the scheduled time of 8 am and was supposed to land at 9.35 am. It reached Indore airport at 10.05 am.
A source familiar with the incident said the pilots had relayed a PAN-PAN message before 10 am when the flight was beginning its descent near the airport. PAN PAN is a radiotelephony signal intended to state that there was an issue and help was required but it was not an emergency.
Air India Express confirmed the incident. In a statement, a spokesperson said, “Due to a suspected oil filter issue during descent into Indore, following standard operating procedures, the crew landed safely. Our pilots are well trained to carry out such precautionary measures.” The airline in another statement issued during the day stressed that it was only a Priority landing and not an emergency landing.
Asked about the impact of oil filter clogging, Aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan said that when the oil filter in the engine is blocked, it would cause the temperature of the engine to increase. “If the engine indication enters the red band, then the engine would have to be shut down immediately,” he said.