Minutes after taking off from Bengaluru airport on Saturday, Go Air flight G8-283 had to turn back after the pilots got a vibration warning in the first engine followed by oil chip detection alarm. (File Photo)
A Pune-bound GoAir flight had to make an emergency landing at the Bengaluru airport after its engine developed a major snag mid-air on Saturday. The low-cost carrier, which has been plagued by recurrent failures of its neo engines, said the flight suffered a “technical glitch” and all the passengers were safe.
Minutes after taking off from Bengaluru airport on Saturday, Go Air flight G8-283 had to turn back after the pilots got a vibration warning in the first engine followed by oil chip detection alarm. Due to this, the first engine had to be shut down mid-air before the aircraft made an emergency landing.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered a probe, media reports said. In a statement, GoAir said the passengers were accommodated on alternate flights upon landing. “The flight suffered a technical glitch. As a standard operating procedure Captain returned back to Bengaluru. Post landing, all passengers were cared for and accommodated on alternate flights. Sincerely regret the inconvenience caused to passengers,” ANI quoted the airline as saying.
In June, an IndiGo flight en route to Ranchi from Delhi returned back shortly after taking off following an engine problem that led to the pilots conducting a controlled shut down of one of the engines. Another IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Port Blair aborted its take-off due to one of its engines stalling in the same month.
The A320 neos powered by Pratt & Whitney engines — which are flown by IndiGo and GoAir in India — have been facing intermittent glitches in the past one year. Earlier this year, 14 planes — 11 of IndiGo and three of GoAir — were taken out of operations due to P&W engine issues on the directions of the aviation regulator after a series of mid-air shutdowns.