Lucknow, Mar 31 (PTI) A Delhi-bound Air India Express flight from West Bengal’s Bagdogra made an emergency landing at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport here after a smoke alarm, sources said on Tuesday.
The flight (IX1523), operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, was diverted to Lucknow Monday evening after the pilot issued a “Mayday” call — an internationally recognised distress signal used in life-threatening emergencies — after the crew detected smoke in the avionics bay.
However, on Tuesday evening, another airline source said it was not a “Mayday” call but a “PAN-PAN” call, declaring urgency and seeking priority landing.
According to sources, the Air Traffic Control in Lucknow was alerted about the diversion, and the aircraft landed safely at around 5.18 pm.
A total of 148 people, including six crew members, were on board at the time.
All passengers were safely evacuated after landing.
Following the incident, the aircraft was declared “Aircraft on Ground”, a technical term indicating that the plane has been grounded due to a fault requiring immediate inspection and repair before it can fly again.
Passengers were accommodated on alternate flights to their destinations.
Some passengers were offered full refunds, while others were provided hotel accommodation and rebooked on subsequent flights, sources said.
“Prioritising safety, the crew operating one of our flights to Delhi elected to divert (the plane) to Lucknow and carried out a priority landing following a smoke alert. The aircraft landed safely, and all guests were provided refreshments on arrival. They were subsequently re-accommodated on alternative flights to Delhi. We regret the inconvenience,” an Air India Express spokesperson said Tuesday evening.
The aircraft remains parked at the Lucknow airport. PTI KIS VN RUK RUK
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