Air India Bangkok flight returns to Kempegowda International Airport after engine snag

BENGALURU:

An Air India flight

(AI 338) from

Bengaluru to Bangkok

had to return to

Kempegowda International Airport

(KIA) after it developed an

engine snag

mid-air following take-off on Friday. The

lone runway at Bengaluru airport

was closed for more than 20 minutes in the evening due to it.


Air India officials said the engine snag was noticed mid-air, more than 30 minutes after the flight took off from KIA at 2.38pm.

“It was a minor engine snag and was noticed by the pilots almost 30 minutes after taking off from Bengaluru. As per standard operating procedure, the pilots made the call to return to Benglauru airport, which is Air India’s base. The aircraft was grounded and thorough checks are being conducted. We are trying to make alternative arrangements for the passengers of the flight,” an AI spokesperson told TOI.

“The runway at KIA was closed from 15.46pm to 16.07pm, immediately after a Bangkok-bound Air India flight returned due to a technical snag. Four arrivals and six departures were delayed,” said a spokesperson of KIA’s operator Bangalore International Airport Limited.

Passengers onboard the AI flight claimed they were made to sit in the aircraft for over an hour after it returned to Bengaluru without any food or water. It was only hours after deboarding that passengers were informed the flight was cancelled, they added.