All was well when a flight from a private carrier took off from Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Monday and landed at Mumbai, however, authorities were puzzled during the post-flight inspection of the aircraft when they found that the flight was missing a fairing panel on one wing.
The AirAsia flight had 143 passengers on board, none of whom were hurt. (FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE)
News agency PTI reported that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is a regulator in the aviation sector, is conducting a probe into the matter. A fairing panel on an aircraft is responsible for producing a smooth outline and reducing drag.
The airline, which conducted its own inspections, also gave out a statement on Tuesday which read, “AirAsia India flight i5-612 from Bengaluru to Mumbai reported a section of a fairing panel missing during post-flight inspection.” The panel was not a load-bearing member of the aircraft structure, it added.
While the missing panel has been replaced with a new one and the flight has been cleared to continue operations, authorities are inspecting on where and how it could have gone missing.
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.
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