Yet another incident of mid-air technical snag on a passenger airline was reported on Thursday after an Air India flight was diverted to Mumbai due to low air pressure, news agency PTI said quoting aviation authorities. According to reports, the Air India Boeing Fleet B787, Flight No. AI- 934 landed safely in Mumbai. The flight was took off from Dubai and intended to land in Kochi.
Taking congnisance of the matter, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that two senior officers of O/o DAS WR are assigned the task to carry out a preliminary investigation.
"An incident of low pressure was reported in Air India Boeing Fleet B787, Flight No. AI- 934 (Dubai-Kochi). The flight was diverted to Mumbai and it landed safely. Two senior officers of O/o DAS WR are assigned the task to carry out a preliminary investigation," the DGCA said in a statement.
A senior DGCA official said that the flight has been grounded and the regulator is off rostering the flight crew.
An Air India spokesperson told PTI that the matter has been reported to the DGCA.
"Flight AI 934, operating from Dubai to Cochin, was diverted to Mumbai today due to a technical issue. The B787 aircraft landed safely at Mumbai at 1912 hrs with 247 passengers and crew. An alternate aircraft is being arranged to carry passengers from Mumbai to Kochi," the spokesperson said.
Speaking about the incident, DGCA officials said that when the Air India flight was heading from Dubai to Kochi on Thursday, the pilot observed a loss in cabin pressure. The pilots contacted the integrated operations control centre (IOCC) of the airline as well as the air traffic controller.
"Oxygen masks were deployed so that the passengers do not face any discomfiture. The plane was allowed to divert to the nearest airport, which in this case was the one in Mumbai and it landed safely, they added," officials said.
Multiple incidents of mid-air technical malfunction in passenger planes flown by Indian carriers have been reported in the last one month.
Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has held multiple meetings with airlines and officials from his ministry and DGCA to ensure safety oversight.