Flight returns to base after Spicejet pilot suspects fire

A Spicejet flight to Hyderabad carrying 133 passengers returned to the city airport 30 minutes after it took off because the pilot suspected a fire in the cargo hold.

A Spicejet flight to Hyderabad carrying 133 passengers returned to the city airport 30 minutes after it took off because the pilot suspected a fire in the cargo hold.

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Around 6am, the Mumbai air traffic control tower received a request from the flight's commander asking permission for an emergency landing because the smoke alarm in the aircraft's belly was on. The pilot also activated the fire extinguisher in the cargo hold.

Fire tenders, ambulances and safety officers meanwhile rushed close to the tarmac as a precautionary measure but the flight landed safely.

Airport officials disembarked all the passengers safely and the aircraft was taken for inspection. An airline spokesperson said they could not determine the cause of the smoke alarm even after a thorough check. Passengers of the flight were accommodated in two flights that left for Hyderabad later in the day.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered an inquiry into the matter.