A Ranchi-bound Indigo flight returned to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi within an hour after its takeoff on Saturday morning following a technical snag, news agency ANI reported, citing officials. Flight number 6E-2172 took off from the national capital at around 7.40 a.m. and returned at 8.20 a.m.
According to a passenger onboard the flight, the pilot announced mid-air about the technical glitch in the aircraft and said that the flight was returning to the IGI airport, the news agency reported. "The pilot announced that there was a technical snag in the plane, so we are going back to Delhi airport. We felt vibrations on board during the flight," the passenger told ANI.
The Indigo crew informed the passengers that another aircraft is being arranged for the said operation, but it will take some time. However, there was no immediate statement from the airline pertaining to the incident.
Earlier on Friday, a Delhi-bound flight made an emergency landing at Patna due to glitches in one engine in the aircraft. Indigo flight 6E 2433 to Delhi, three minutes after departure, reported one engine inoperative. The aircraft landed safely at 0911 hours, airport authorities said.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a penalty of Rs 30 lakh on IndiGo Airlines and directed them to amend their documents and procedures in line with DGCA requirements and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) guidelines, news agency ANI reported. This comes in the wake of the airlines experiencing four tail strike incidents on A321 aircraft within a span of six months this year.
Last month, the DGCA ordered a special audit to review the documentation and procedures on operations, training, engineering, and the flight data monitoring programme of IndiGo Airlines. The audit report showed "certain systemic deficiencies in Indigo Airline's documentation pertaining to operations, training, and engineering procedures," the DGCA said. Following the audit, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to Indigo Airlines, directing them to submit their reply within the stipulated time period.