Technical snag forces AI Express flights emergency landing in Indore, all 161 passengers safe

BHOPAL: A New Delhi-Indore Air India Express flight reportedly made an emergency landing at the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Indore following a technical snag in the engine on Friday morning. With 161 passengers on board, the flight IX-1028 aircraft landed safely at 9.54 am, just a short while after the aircrafts pilot had alerted the Indore Air Traffic Control (ATC) about a technical snag in the engine and sought permission to make an emergency landing at the airport. All 161 passengers on board were reported safe. The pilot made a 'PAN-PAN' call to indicate a non-life-threatening emergency, but the aircraft landed safely at the airport with a delay of 20 minutes, an official told PTI . 'PAN-PAN' is an internationally valid signal used in maritime and air radio communication. In aviation, it indicates an urgent situation that requires assistance but is not immediately life-threatening. When a pilot sends a 'PAN-PAN' signal, it means that the crew needs immediate help from ATC or 'ground service'. As soon as the ATC got the alert from the planes cockpit about a technical snag and consequently permitted the emergency landing, emergency teams, including fire brigade vehicles, ambulances and CISF personnel, were rushed to the runway to deal with any emergency. As per informed sources at the Indore Airport, the concerned Air India plane has been parked at Bay-02, where a team of technical experts are looking into the fault. This latest emergency happened five days after an Air India flight (AI-2913) from New Delhi to Indore, reportedly returned to the national capital shortly after take off on August 31, after its pilots received an engine fire alert. Prior to it, in July, an IndiGo flight (6E 813) from Goa to Indore had reportedly made an emergency landing after the pilot received an undercarriage warning related to the landing gear system. The Airbus A320, carrying 140 passengers, landed safely though nearly 45 minutes behind schedule.