Engine failure forces Air India Express flight to return to Abu Dhabi

An official said the B737-800 plane was involved in an air turnback, which refers to a situation where an aircraft is forced to land at the departure airport

A Kozhikode-bound Air India Express flight with 184 passengers on board was forced to return to Abu Dhabi due to engine failure on Friday, an official of India’s aviation regulator said.

The Kozhikode-bound Air India Express flight had 184 passengers on board. (PTI (Representative))

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official said the B737-800 plane was involved in an air turnback, which refers to a situation where an aircraft is forced to land at the departure airport, due to a flameout in its engine number one while it was flying 1000 feet above the ground.

Flameout means the run-down of an engine due to flame extinction in its combustor due to causes such as low ambient temperatures.

Officials said that the stranded passengers have been lodged at a hotel and that a separate aircraft was expected to fly them back from Abu Dhabi later on Friday.

In a statement, the airline blamed “a technical snag” in one of the engines for the air turnback without specifying the exact reason for it. It added that the snag was identified while taking off and the aircraft landed back safely following all laid-down procedures at the Abu Dhabi airport.