Fright for flyers: IndiGo's Sharjah-Hyderabad flight diverted to Karachi; Air India Express' Calicut-Dubai to Muscat

New Delhi/Karachi, July 17

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Two international flights by Indian carriers—one of Indigo and other of Air India Express—were diverted from their routes in the last 24 hours following suspected snags.

Air India Express’s Calicut-Dubai flight was diverted to Muscat on Saturday night after a burning smell was observed in cabin mid-air, officials of aviation regulator DGCA said on Sunday.

The burning smell was coming from one of the vents in the forward galley and pilots, therefore, diverted the plane to Muscat and landed safely, the officials said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the incident, officials noted.

In another incident, IndiGo’s Sharjah-Hyderabad flight was diverted to Karachi as a precaution after pilots observed defect in one of the engines, officials of aviation regulator DGCA said on Sunday.

In a statement about Sunday’s incident, IndiGo said its flight 6E-1406, operating from Sharjah to Hyderabad, was diverted to Karachi.

“The pilot observed a technical defect. Necessary procedures were followed and as a precaution, the aircraft was diverted to Karachi. An additional flight is being sent to Karachi to fly the passengers to Hyderabad,” it added.

On July 14, IndiGo’s Delhi-Vadodara flight was diverted to Jaipur out of precaution as vibrations were observed in the engines of the aircraft for a second. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating both the incidents, officials noted.

IndiGo’s competitor SpiceJet is also under regulatory scanner right now. On July 6, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet following at least eight incidents of technical malfunction in its aircraft since June 19.

One of the incidents happened on July 5 when SpiceJet’s Delhi-Dubai flight was diverted to Karachi as the fuel indicator started malfunctioning.

The aviation regulator had on July 6 said SpiceJet had “failed” to establish safe, efficient and reliable air services, and gave it three weeks to send a response to the notice.

According to ARY News of Pakistan, the manager of the Karachi airport on Sunday said the captain of IndiGo’s Sharjah-Hyderabad flight informed the airport officials regarding a technical fault in the plane’s engine.

“He made an emergency landing and the passengers were transferred to the transit lounge where they were offered breakfast and refreshments,” the manager said.

The manager added that another plane of the Indian airline would land at Karachi airport at 3 pm to airlift the passengers to Hyderabad in India.

“The Indian airline has conveyed information regarding the arrival of another plane to airlift the passengers,” he said.

Bird found mid-air in cockpit of Air India Express’ Bahrain-Kochi flight on July 15  

Meanwhile, an alive bird was found in the cockpit of Air India Express’ Bahrain-Kochi flight on July 15, officials of aviation regulator DGCA said on Sunday.

The bird was found in the glove compartment on co-pilot’s side when the plane was at 37,000 feet altitude, the officials noted.

The plane landed safely in Kochi, they said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is investigating the incident, they mentioned.

Prima facie, it looks like there was a ground handling lapse at a foreign station, the officials said while talking about the incident.