145 Lives at Risk: Air India Flight Diverted Mid-Air Over Dangerous Fuel Leak

Chennai (The Uttam Hindu): A potential tragedy was averted at the Chennai Airport on Wednesday when the pilot of an Air India flight travelling from Chennai to Singapore detected a possible fuel leak during the final pre-flight inspection. The flight, carrying 145 passengers including crew members, was scheduled to fly on Wednesday noon. However, during the final checks, the pilot noticed the technical issue and immediately alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC).

Engineers and airport authorities promptly attended to the problem, and the malfunction was rectified. Once receiving clearance, the flight departed safely. In a separate development, seven departure flights and five arrival flights were cancelled at Chennai Airport on the same day due to various reasons. Flights departing to Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai, Shimoga, Bagdogra, Jaffna, and Kolkata were affected. Arrivals from Thiruvananthapuram, Madurai, Kochi, Kolkata, and Jaffna were also cancelled. Airport officials reported that eight flights were cancelled due to operational reasons, while two faced technical issues. Poor weather conditions in Jaffna led to the cancellation of the departure and arrival flights on that route. Additionally, one flight from New Delhi to Chennai was diverted to Bengaluru after rain briefly disrupted operations on Wednesday morning. The New Delhi flight, scheduled to arrive at 10 a.m., could not do so due to adverse weather. This latest incident adds to a series of aviation challenges in the Chennai airport. A SpiceJet flight from Chennai to Kochi made an emergency return to Chennai Airport on Monday (December 9) morning after encountering a technical glitch mid-air. The flight, which had 117 passengers onboard, flew at 6:30 a.m. and safely returned at 7:15 a.m.

During adverse weather conditions caused by Cyclone Fengal, an IndiGo Airbus A320 narrowly avoided a mishap. While attempting to land at Chennai Airport, the pilot aborted the landing just inches from the ground and performed a go-round. A flight scheduled to arrive in Thoothukudi was diverted to Madurai due to technical issues. After circling briefly, the aircraft made a safe emergency landing in Madurai. Among the 77 passengers was Tamil Nadu's Public Works Minister, E.V. Velu. Recently, an Air India Express flight from Kuwait to Chennai returned to Kuwait due to a mid-air technical snag. The flight, with 154 passengers onboard, was cancelled after the issue persisted. Passengers were accommodated in Kuwait.