Air India Ahmedabad-bound flight returns to Delhi after smoke alert

Passengers were later flown to Ahmedabad in another aircraft.

An Air India flight from Delhi to Ahmedabad made an emergency landing at the Delhi airport on Thursday night after a smoke alert was triggered in the cargo hold.

Flight AI 2939, which took off from Delhi, returned and landed safely at 10:20 pm following the alert, officials said.

In a statement, Air India said the crew acted promptly in line with safety protocols. “The crew operating flight AI2939 from Delhi to Ahmedabad on 27 November decided to return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a smoke indicator, which was later found to be false after the aircraft underwent thorough precautionary checks. Following standard operating procedure, the aircraft landed in Delhi and the passengers and crew were disembarked safely.”

The airline said ground teams ensured assistance and onward travel arrangements for the affected passengers. “Our ground team at Delhi had provided immediate assistance to the passengers and alternative arrangements were made to fly them to their destination at the earliest. Any inconvenience caused due to this unforeseen situation is sincerely regretted. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain top priority.” an Air India official said.

The Delhi-Ahmedabad flight AI2939, operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, had around 170 people onboard. Passengers were later flown to Ahmedabad in another aircraft.