The Air India Express Boeing 737 Max 8, registered as VT-BXJ, is currently parked at Lucknow airport. No updates have been provided regarding its operational status or any scheduled flights.
Lucknow: A Delhi-bound Air India Express Boeing 737 MAX 8 made a precautionary landing at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport on Thursday morning after a smoke alert was triggered in its aft cargo compartment, prompting concern among the crew. The airline later arranged another aircraft to fly the 155 passengers to Delhi. The aircraft involved, bearing registration number VT-BXJ, was delivered to Air India Express in Dec 2023. Its cabin sensors detected smoke in the cargo bay while it was operating flight IX 1253 from Varanasi to Delhi, according to officials. The aircraft landed safely at 8.52 am. The aircraft was parked at the airport bay and passengers began deplaning at 9.02 am. At around 1.58 pm, Air India Express arranged another aircraft to take the passengers to Delhi. The aircraft remained parked at Lucknow airport and was expected to take off at 10.45 pm. The source said the aircraft was scheduled for return journey from Delhi to Varanasi at 5.45 pm on Thursday. It was then scheduled to operate flights on several sectors, including international routes, till Sept 5.
Air India Express, in a statement said: “A Varanasi-Delhi flight was diverted to Lucknow as a precaution after a technical issue. The aircraft was fit to fly but was awaiting an airworthiness certificate from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, according to an airline source. The pilots then requested a precautionary landing at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. The airport emergency response team conducted an inspection but no smoke was observed. The aircraft landed safely, passengers were served refreshments and an alternative aircraft was being arranged. The flight movement schedule showed that the aircraft was to operate the Delhi-Varanasi sector before continuing to Sharjah from Varanasi. It was also scheduled to operate flights between Varanasi and Bangkok, besides other sectors.
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