NEW DELHI: An Air India flight from Delhi to Indore with 94 passengers returned to the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Sunday morning shortly after take-off due to a fire indication sign in the cockpit. The right engine of AI 2913 was shut down by the pilots and it was brought to a safe landing at IGIA.
To handle any possible emergency, fire engines, ambulances and security personnel were on standby at the airport.
The A320 neo aircraft had taken off at 6.02 am from Terminal 3, half an hour behind schedule. The incident occurred when the flight was air-borne.
An Air India spokesperson said in a statement,
"Flight AI2913, operating from Delhi to Indore on 31 August, air-returned to Delhi shortly after take-off, as the cockpit crew received a fire indication for the right engine. Following standard procedure, the cockpit crew elected to shut down the engine and returned to Delhi where the flight landed safely."
The aircraft was grounded for inspection, and passengers were transferred to an alternative aircraft that left for Indore, the statement said adding, "The regulator has been duly informed of the incident."
According to a flight tracking platform, flightradar24, the alternative flight took off at 9.17 am and landed safely at Indore at 10.19 am.
Delhi airport officials refused to comment on the incident.