Kochi-bound SpiceJet flight with 117 passengers returns to Chennai due to ‘technical issue’

According to a report, the aircraft made an emergency landing at the Chennai airport.

A Kochi-bound SpiceJet flight returned to Chennai as it developed a technical issue, the airline said on Monday.

Representational Image

“On December 9, 2024, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft from Chennai to Kochi returned to Chennai due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely and passengers were deplaned normally,” its statement read.

According to reports, the snag forced the pilots to make an emergency landing at the airport in Tamil Nadu's capital.

Officials told PTI, “The flight left with 117 passengers. Later, the pilots detected the technical glitch, following which they turned back and made the emergency landing. Required safety measures were put in place and the aircraft made a safe landing.”

According to a News9 report, the plane was mid-air when it developed an engine problem. On discovering this, the pilots promptly contacted the airport control room in Chennai.

The officials ordered them to return immediately after which the aircraft made a safe landing at 7:15 am, the report said, adding that engineers were checking the faulty engine.

The passengers were deboarded and accommodated in the airport's lounges, the website stated.

Meanwhile, another SpiceJet plane was involved in an incident on Monday, as the carrier's Delhi-Shillong flight was diverted to Patna due to a crack in the windshield of the aircraft's cockpit.

"On December 9, 2024, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft operating from Delhi to Shillong was diverted to Patna when a windshield crack was observed. Please note that there are three different layers of windshield and only one layer of a particular window had a crack, and the diversion was purely a precautionary measure. The aircraft made a normal landing and not an emergency landing. Passengers were deplaned normally. Pressurisation was normal throughout the flight,” said a spokesperson from SpiceJet.