An Akasa Air flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad had to abandon landing attempts twice because of windy conditions. The flight diverted to Jaipur for refuelling and later returned to Ahmedabad, where it made a safe landing around 1:30 pm on Tuesday. The flight, QP 1781, took off from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) at 9 am and was slated to land at Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) at 10 am, the Indian Express report stated.
What happened during the attempts to land in Ahmedabad?
When the aircraft attempted to land, windy conditions resulted in an “unstable approach,” as per a source cited by The Indian Express. This was the reason the pilot abandoned the landing attempt and was directed to “go around,” meaning the aircraft did not touch down and instead went back to make another attempt.
The report added that the flight then circled the airport for about 15-20 minutes, as other scheduled flights were also approaching the airport. When the aircraft tried to make its second attempt, it again failed, following which the pilot decided to divert the flight to Jaipur, The Indian Express reported.
Flight was diverted to Jaipur, and a safe landing was made on the third attempt
After diverting, the aircraft was refueled at Jaipur airport, and then it returned to Ahmedabad, where it landed safely at about 1:30 pm. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737 Max 8.
On January 13, another flight of Akasa Air deplaned passengers from a Bengaluru-bound flight from Pune on Tuesday morning after a technical glitch that was reported in a Boeing 737 MAX aircraft ahead of its departure. The flight was rescheduled, as per a report by PTI. One passenger stated to PTI that travellers were seated inside the aircraft for nearly one-and-a-half hours before being instructed to get off. The flight was scheduled to depart at 8:50 am, with boarding starting around 8:10 am.
In a communication to passengers, the airline stated that flight QP1312 was delayed because of operational reasons and would depart at 1:15 pm. Later, Akasa acknowledged the delay due to technical issues, stating, “Akasa Air flight QP1312, scheduled to operate from Pune to Bengaluru on January 13, has been delayed because of technical reasons.” The airline mentioned that the aircraft was undergoing inspection, and passengers were offered to reschedule or claim a refund.