A Singapore-bound Air India flight was forced to return to Delhi shortly after take-off late Wednesday night following a suspected technical issue, reportedly. The aircraft landed safely at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, and passengers were later flown to Singapore on an alternative aircraft.
Precautionary return after take-off
The flight, AI 2380, had departed from Delhi for Singapore on January 14 when the operating crew decided to carry out a precautionary return. While PTI reported that an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) fire warning had triggered the decision, Air India did not confirm this specific detail.
In an official statement, an Air India spokesperson said the aircraft returned due to a “suspected technical issue” detected shortly after take-off. “The operating crew of flight AI 2380 decided to carry out a precautionary return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical issue,” the airline said.
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Aircraft lands safely, passengers accommodated
According to the airline, the aircraft landed safely in Delhi, and ground teams provided all necessary assistance to passengers. Arrangements were subsequently made for the flight to depart for Singapore using a replacement aircraft.
“The operating crew of flight AI 2380, operating from Delhi to Singapore on 14 January, decided to carry out a precautionary return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical issue,” Hindustan Times reported an Air India spokesperson as saying.
He further said, “The aircraft landed safely in Delhi. Our ground teams at Delhi extended all necessary assistance to passengers, and the flight departed for Singapore on an alternative aircraft. Air India regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen situation. At Air India, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain top priority.”
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Data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showed that the flight, operated using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, remained airborne for close to an hour before returning to Delhi, where it landed at around 1 am on Thursday.
Separate A350 engine incident at Delhi airport
In a separate and unrelated incident at Delhi airport on Thursday, a container was reportedly sucked into the engine of an Air India A350 aircraft, causing damage to the jet’s engine. A video circulating online, reportedly filmed by a passenger, showed the aircraft parked on the tarmac and surrounded by ground staff, with visible damage to the engine.
However, an official statement from Air India on the A350 incident is awaited.
