An AirAsia India flight from Jaipur to the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) developed a technical snag just before landing, giving anxious moments to about 76 passengers, including six infants, and six crew members on Tuesday afternoon. The entire airport got into full alert putting into motion all the safety protocols needed to tackle an emergency.
The flight arriving from Jaipur in Rajasthan was supposed to arrive at about 1.40 p.m. but had come in 10 minutes early when the pilot had noticed fuel leakage in the engine and immediately alerted the Air Traffic Control (ATC) authorities. The airport security got geared up on receipt of the information when the pilot managed to land the plane safely switching off the engine, according to airport sources.
An official spokesperson later in a statement released to the media informed that the aircraft VT-IXC operating from Jaipur to Hyderabad encountered a "technical issue and carried out a precautionary engine shut-down'. Handling the situation calmly in a professional manner, the crew landed at RGIA". “We are carrying out a detailed inspection of the aircraft, having informed Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). We are assisting in the investigation to establish the cause,” the spokesperson said.
“The pilots and crew are experienced and well trained to manage these situations. We apologise for the delay on the subsequent flight and confirm that our guests have been re-accommodated,” the statement added. The passengers bound for Bengaluru by this flight from Hyderabad were accommodated in another flight, airport sources said.
