New Delhi: A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight was diverted back to Mumbai due to burning odour in the cabin resulting from a bird hit, news agency ANI reported.
According to the spokesperson of the airlines, the aircraft landed safely in Mumbai and all the passengers were deboarded. The aircraft has been positioned for a detailed inspection.
The airline, which had started its operation on August 7, is aiming for over 250 flights per week, operating over nine domestic routes, by the second week of October, Akasa Air had said as it announced entry in the highly-competitive Delhi market.
Akasa Air, founded by late stock market investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala along with aviation industry veteran Vinay Dube, started its operation with a flight to Ahmedabad from Mumbai in August. Since then, the airline has expanded its route network to Chennai, Kochi and Bengaluru.
As per report, Akasa Air's fleet size will be 18 aircraft by the end of March next year, and over the next four years, the airline will add 54 additional aircraft, taking its total fleet size to 72 aircraft.
Saturday’s incident comes just a few days after a SpiceJet flight had to make an emergency landing at the Hyderabad airport after smoke was detected in the aircraft’s cockpit and cabin.
All the passengers deboarded safely from the Goa-Hyderabad flight after it landed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport.
According to reports, oil seepage from one of the engines into the air conditioning system was likely the reason behind the incident.