An Air India Express Boeing 737 operating from Cochin to Abu Dhabi turned back shortly after takeoff after the crew detected a rapid drop in oil quantity in one of its engines. The aircraft later landed safely at Cochin International Airport after the pilots shut down the affected engine when its oil pressure entered the danger zone.
An Air India Express spokesperson said the incident occurred a week ago and that the aircraft returned to Kochi as part of established safety procedures.
"A week ago, one of our Kochi-Abu Dhabi flights made an air turnback in line with established safety protocols. Guests were subsequently connected to Abu Dhabi on an alternative aircraft. Reports presenting this incident without the relevant timeline and context may inadvertently cause unnecessary concern among guests and the travelling public," he said.
Flight IX 415 was around 50 minutes into the journey and flying at 36,000 feet when the pilots noticed that the oil quantity in Engine 1 was falling rapidly, sources said.
The crew carried out a FORDEC assessment and, as the oil quantity continued to decline, decided to abandon the Abu Dhabi sector and return to Cochin.
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The commander informed Mumbai Radio over high frequency that the aircraft was turning back to Cochin. The pilots continued to monitor the engine parameters and prepared for possible contingencies during the diversion.
Around 45 minutes after the aircraft turned back, the oil pressure in Engine 1 began fluctuating and entered the red zone on the cockpit gauge. The crew then followed the Non-Normal Checklist and shut down the engine.
The aircraft subsequently landed at Cochin on a single engine. The landing was completed safely, despite the aircraft being overweight for the manoeuvre, sources said.
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The incident comes amid a series of technical diversions involving Indian airlines. It also comes days after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released its preliminary findings into the Air India Phuket-Delhi incident. The report said Airbus technical experts inspected the aircraft for three days in the presence of the investigation team, while hydraulic components and samples were collected for further analysis.
Following the Phuket-Delhi incident, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation would increase the annual percentage of psychoactive substance tests for flight crew.
The latest Air India Express incident could also put the spotlight on the safety audit framework followed by the DGCA.
The US Federal Aviation Administration assesses a country's aviation safety oversight under its International Aviation Safety Assessment programme. India's last major IASA audit took place in October 2021, while the next audit is expected in November this year.
Official comments from Air India Express and the DGCA are awaited.
