Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: An Air India Express flight from Hyderabad to Phuket was diverted back to its base shortly after takeoff on July 19 morning. Flight IX 110 took off from Hyderabad Airport at 6:40 am. However, according to flight tracking service FlightRadar24, the aircraft turned around and returned to Hyderabad soon after take-off. The flight remained in the air for only 16 minutes before turning back. The reason for the diversion is not yet known. An official statement from Air India Express is awaited.
In a separate incident, earlier this week, an Air India Express flight bound for Dubai was grounded at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport on Wednesday after the pilot refused to take off due to a technical issue detected during engine startup.
Flight IX 193 was scheduled to depart from Hyderabad at 8:45 AM with 160 passengers and 8 crew members on board. Shortly after starting the engines, a technical fault was noticed, prompting the pilot to alert airline officials and air traffic control (ATC) immediately. Following the cancellation, some passengers were issued refunds, while others were provided hotel accommodation by the airline.
