In the wake of a string of technical malfunction incidents involving Indian carriers, Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia held a meeting on safety issues with senior officials of his ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Sunday, 17 July.
During the meeting, the minister took a detailed report from the officials about these incidents over the last one month and told them that there should be no compromise over passengers' safety.
Air India Express' Dubai Flight Diverted to Muscat
Meanwhile, Air India Express's Calicut-Dubai flight was diverted to Muscat on Saturday night after a burning smell was observed in cabin mid-air, officials of aviation regulator DGCA said on Sunday.
The burning smell was coming from one of the vents in the forward galley and pilots, therefore, diverted the plane to Muscat and landed safely, the officials said.
The DGCA is investigating the incident, officials noted.
In a separate incident, IndiGo's Sharjah-Hyderabad flight was diverted to Karachi as a precaution on Sunday after pilots observed defect in one of the engines.
Bird Found in Cockpit of Plane
In yet another incident, an alive bird was found in the cockpit of Air India Express' Bahrain-Kochi flight on 15 July, officials of DGCA said on Sunday.
The bird was found in the glove compartment on co-pilot's side when the plane was at 37,000 feet altitude, the officials noted.
The plane landed safely in Kochi.
The DGCA is investigating the incident and prima facie, it looks like there was a ground handling lapse at a foreign station, the officials said.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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