Mumbai: A Dubai-bound Indigo Airlines flight returned to the city airport minutes after take-off on Wednesday following a ‘May Day’ call by the captain, triggered by a fire alarm in the cargo hold.
Officials at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport said Flight 6E-061 from Mumbai to Dubai took off at 8.40 p.m., and the fire alarm went off a short while later. An airport official said, “A full emergency was declared and fire engines were deployed. The aircraft landed safely at 9.15 p.m. and has been taken to the isolation bay for inspection,” .
They said the aircraft was not an Airbus 320neo but an A320ceo. “The aircraft was airborne for about 35 minutes and was overflying the Arabian Sea, when the pilot decided to return,” an official added.
In a statement, an Indigo spokesperson said, “Flight 6E-061 from Mumbai to Dubai made a precautionary air turn back due to a smoke warning in the cargo compartment. The aircraft has landed safely in Mumbai. The 176 passengers, plus two infants and the six crew are safe. Passengers have disembarked. The aircraft has been inspected, it was a false alarm. The flight will depart after a change of aircraft.”
