Bengaluru-Mumbai plane lands with fairing panel missing; DGCA orders probe

An AirAsia plane landed in Mumbai from Bengaluru with a fairing panel missing on one wing, prompting the DGCA to order a probe.

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 incident occurred with an AirAsia plane which had over 140 passengers on board, none of whom were harmed.

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.

(With inputs from PTI)