'Pungent' Smell That Led Kochi-Sharjah Air India Flight To Return Possibly Came From Box Of Onions: Report

The "pungent" odour in a Kochi to Sharjah Air India Express flight, which had to return soon after takeoff, possibly emerged from a box of onions in the cargo hold area of the flight.

A mix of "pungent" and "burning smell" inside a Kochi to Sharjah Air India Express flight caused it to return soon after takeoff. However, it appears now that the odour possibly emerged from a box of onions in the cargo hold area of the flight. The flight took off from Kochi on August 2 night and one of the passengers complained of a smell of something "burning" inside the flight, news agency PTI reported an airline source as saying.

Soon after, more passengers began complaining of some "pungent smell" in the flight that had just taken off, forcing a turnaround and a precautionary landing at the Cochin International Airport (CIAL), PTI's report mentioned.

An engineering team inspected the plane and its initial findings showed no evidence of smoke or technical issues, the airline source told PTI.

"The preliminary feedback suggests that the source of the odour may have been attributed to the presence of onions or vegetables being carried in the aircraft", the source said, as quoted by the report. As somebody had reported a bad smell inside the aircraft, as a precautionary measure, it was decided to turn back, the source added.

Congress MLA Mathew Kuzhalnadan was travelling in the aircraft and informed that there was uncertainty and confusion among the passengers, but it landed safely.

"To be honest, I fell asleep as soon as I boarded. However, when I woke up with the announcement, there was an uncertainty and confusion among the people. When the captain announced we are landing back then, everyone got concerned and slightly nervous. However, it didn't get worse as we landed back soon," the Muvattupuzha MLA, who is on a private visit to Sharjah, told PTI.

Air India expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers and made arrangements for them on another aircraft, which departed at 5.14 am.

The airline source cited by the report stated that the odour might have come from the onions or vegetables kept in the airline's cargo hold area.

The Middle East-bound Air India Express airline carries vegetables, fruits, and flowers in large quantities in its cargo hold area, which is also a source of income for it.

"We not only carry passengers, we also carry the produce from our farmers, particularly to the Gulf countries," the source told PTI.

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