Air India Flight Returns To Mumbai Mid-Air After 'Burning Smell' Detected Passengers Safe

(MENAFN- Live Mint) In yet another mid-air scare involving Air India, a Chennai-bound flight was forced to return to Mumbai on Saturday following a burning smell in the cabin. Flight AI 639, which took off from Mumbai on the morning of 27 June, made a precautionary air turn-back shortly after take-off, the airline confirmed.

According to an official statement, the Airbus aircraft returned "safely" to the Mumbai airport, and an alternate aircraft was arranged for the continuation of the journey. While Air India did not disclose the source of the burning odour or further technical details, it assured that all passengers were safe and received necessary assistance.

“Our ground teams in Mumbai extended full support to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption,” the airline said.

This is not the first time an Air India flight has made an emergency return.

In a separate incident on Friday, a non-specific security alert was flagged on another Air India aircraft. The airline's spokesperson confirmed that the aircraft was thoroughly checked as per standard security procedures and later cleared for its next scheduled flight.

Adding to the growing list of recent operational hiccups, an Air India Express flight from Delhi to Jammu was forced to return mid-air on Friday due to a technical glitch. The aircraft took off after a delay of over 20 minutes at 11:04 am but was redirected back to Delhi instead of completing its journey to Jammu, where it was expected to land by 12:05 pm.

These back-to-back incidents come in the wake of the catastrophic June 12 crash of a Gatwick-bound Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating international flight AI-171, crashed shortly after take-off, killing 270 people, including 241 passengers and crew on board, and 29 individuals on the ground. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is currently probing the cause of the fatal mishap, which has triggered nationwide concern over Air India's safety record.

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