Goa-Delhi Indigo Flight Returns After Technical Issue Mid-Air

An IndiGo flight to Delhi had to return to the Goa airport and make an emergency landing after its engine developed “some technical issues” mid-air, the airline said on Monday. Goa Power Minister Nilesh Cabral, who was among the passengers on the flight which took off from the coastal state on Sunday, claimed the aircraft’s engine caught fire following which the plane had to return.

However, the airline refuted the claims, saying “at no point of time there was any danger of fire in the engine”.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a probe into the incident.

IndiGo flight 6E336, operating from Goa to Delhi on September 29 returned to Goa due to “technical issues in engine”, the airline said in statement.

“As per the laid down Standard Operating Procedures, our pilot landed the aircraft in Goa for inspection. All the passengers were accommodated on other flights to Delhi,” a spokesperson of the airline said.

Cabral, however, said the flight had to return after the aircraft’s engine caught fire. He later flew to Delhi in another plane. IndiGo said it strongly refutes the occurrence of any fire in the flight’s engine.

“During the shutdown process of the engine, it is not unusual that unburnt fuel ignites some sparks seen at the exhaust of the engine, which was noticed by the passengers.  At no point of time there was any danger of fire in the engine,” it said in the statement.

“As per our records, the engine had no previous history of any technical issues. This aircraft was powered by CFM engine which has done 12,000 hours since the last shop visit. This is well within the expected life of the engine,” the airline further said.

However, the cause of the incident is not known yet and is currently under investigation, it added.

“The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has also started an investigation into the IndiGo Goa-Delhi flight incident,” a senior DGCA official said.