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New Delhi: An Air India Boeing 777 aircraft headed to Mumbai on Monday returned to Delhi in less than one hour after taking off after its right engine shutdown, forcing an emergency landing.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will conduct a probe into the incident. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has sought a report from the airline about the incident.
The aircraft with 335 on board, was airborne for nearly an hour before returning to Delhi following which it landed in emergency conditions.
"The crew operating flight AI-887 from Delhi to Mumbai on December 22 decided to return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a technical issue as per standard operating procedure," Air India said in a statement.
Officials said the aircraft was involved in an air turn-back as during flap retraction after take-off, the flight crew observed low engine oil pressure on Engine No. 2 (right-hand engine). Shortly thereafter, they said the engine oil pressure dropped to zero. Following the procedure, the crew shut down the engine and the aircraft landed safely at Delhi.
The incident would be investigated by the Permanent investigation board of the Airline under the supervision of Director Air Safety(NR), DGCA, they said.
Air India said an alternative aircraft was arranged to operate a replacement flight, which has departed with all passengers. "Our teams on the ground assisted all passengers while they awaited the departure, with refreshments provided to all. Senior Air India representatives personally met with the passengers on ground and were available to provide any required assistance," it said.