New Delhi: A Kozhikode-bound Air India Express flight from Abu Dhabi landed back at the airport soon after take-off when flames were detected in one of its engines, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Friday.
The airlines said that all passengers in the B737-800 aircraft –184 of them, according to DGCA – were safe.
Air India Express told news agency ANI: “Soon after taking off and climbing to 1,000 feet, the pilot detected a flame in one of the engines and decided to go back to Abu Dhabi airport.”
The DGCA also said in a statement: “Today an Air India Express B737-800 aircraft VT-AYC operating flight IX 348 (Abu Dhabi-Calicut) was involved in Air turnback due to the No. 1 engine flameout at 1,000 ft during the climb.”
The low-cost Air India Express is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India and is headquartered in Kochi, Kerala.
It operates a fleet of 24 Boeing 737- 800 Next Generation (NG) aircraft that supports its low-cost structure.
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