Air India flight returns to Mumbai after engine stops mid-air
What's the story
An Air India (AI) flight had to return to the Mumbai airport just 27 minutes after takeoff as one of its engines shut down mid-air due to a technical snag. The plane, an Airbus A320neo, was flying to Bengaluru. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is conducting an investigation into the incident, sources told PTI.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The Airbus A320neo dominates the narrow-body aircraft market in India. In 2019, all engines were mandated to modify the turbine component with a material "less susceptible to impact damage." The same year, IndiGo, A320neo's biggest customer, switched to rival CFM International's engines, the ones that are used in Air India's A320neo planes.
Air turnback
Pilots received warning about high exhaust gas temperatures
Minutes after the Bengaluru-bound aircraft's departure from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 9:43 am on Tuesday, the pilots received a warning about high exhaust gas temperatures in one of the engines. This prompted the pilots to land back at the Mumbai airport. Sources from the Mumbai air traffic control said that ambulances and fire tenders were on standby, and the aircraft landed safely.
Statement
Passengers flown to Bengaluru in another aircraft
An Air India spokesperson said: "Air India accords top priority to safety and our crew are well adept at handling these situations. Our engineering and maintenance teams are looking into the issue." Meanwhile, the passengers of the flight were flown to Bengaluru after a change of aircraft. Later, they reached their destination at 2:40 pm instead of the earlier scheduled arrival of 11:40 am.
69 years
Homecoming of Air India
Notably, the Tatas had set up the Tata Airlines in 1932 which was renamed Air India in 1946. The government took control of the airline in 1953. In October 2021, the government sold Air India to Talace Private Limited, a subsidiary of the Tata Group's holding company, marking the return of the AI to the Tata Group after 69 years.
Top bosses
Campbell Wilson appointed as MD and CEO of Air India
On May 12, Tata Sons appointed Campbell Wilson as the MD and CEO of Air India. Wilson was the founding CEO of low-cost airline Scoot—the wholly-owned subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. In March, Tata Group chief N Chandrasekaran was appointed as the Chairman of the airlines. Tata Sons had previously announced Turkey's Ilker Ayci as the CEO of Air India, but Ayci declined the offer.