A Pune-bound Air India plane, with 144 people onboard, landed in emergency conditions due to failure of its air-conditioning system and fall in cabin pressure soon after take off from IGI airport here, airport sources said on Thursday, reports Times of India.
Air India flight (IC 849), with 138 passengers and six crew members, was scheduled to leave here at around 4 pm on Wednesday but just before its take-off, the pilot informed that the flight would be delayed as he had detected some technical fault in the plane.
Aircraft engineers repaired the fault and declared the aircraft fit for flying, the sources said.
"The plane took off around 5 pm but after remaining airborne for about 20 minutes, we felt the aircraft was shaking and we could smell foul smell," J Khan, a passenger onboard the aircraft, said.
The pilot declared he will have to make an emergency landing and within 25 minutes the plane landed at Delhi airport.
An Air India official said the plane had to land due to fault in air-conditioning system and fall in cabin pressure but all on board were safe and the passengers flew to Pune in another aircraft at around 7 pm.
