A full emergency was declared at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Tuesday moring after a SpiceJet flight to Leh reported an engine problem shortly after takeoff.
The flight, SG-121, had around 150 passengers on board. Minutes after taking off from the Delhi airport, the crew detected a fault in one of the engines and decided to turn back as a safety measure.
The aircraft returned to Delhi instead of continuing to Leh because its number two engine had failed, ANI reported citing sources.
What exactly happened?
A spokesperson for SpiceJet said the airline’s Delhi to Leh flight had to head back to the capital. It is reported that the aircraft, a Boeing 737, which was carrying nearly 150 passengers at the time of the incident, experienced some technical difficulty in one of its engines. After identifying the issue, the pilots decided not to continue the journey to Leh and instead returned to Delhi as a safety step.
The flight landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 6:45 am. According to the airline, the landing was smooth and there was no panic on board. Once the plane reached the terminal, passengers got off in the usual manner. There were no reports of injuries, and airport authorities had made the necessary arrangements as a precaution.
The spokesperson said the safety of passengers and crew remains the airline’s top priority, which is why the decision was taken to turn back immediately after the issue was detected. The aircraft has now been taken for detailed technical checks. Engineers will carry out a full inspection to find out the exact cause of the problem and ensure that the plane meets all safety standards before it is allowed to operate again.
Emergency protocols at IGI Airport?
After the aircraft turned back, airport officials quickly put emergency plans into action to make sure the landing was handled safely, as per media reports. Fire engines and ambulances were kept ready near the runway as a safety step. The plane touched down in Delhi without any trouble, and passengers got off in the normal way. No one was hurt.
As opposed to some reports, there was no fire in the cockpit during the incident.
According to DNA India, the airline has made stay arrangements for the passengers who were supposed to travel to Leh. The report added that another flight to Leh will operate on Feb 25 to carry them to their destination.
While the incident has once again sparked questions about flight safety, authorities said the situation was fully under control.
The development comes at a time when the airline is already facing close attention over how it is managing its operations, especially as it looks to expand its fleet while also dealing with restrictions in certain regional airspaces.