Air India flight lands in Delhi under emergency conditions

An Air India flight from Delhi to Hyderabad, with 74 people on board, today landed at the IGI Airport here under emergency conditions as the pilot suspected technical trouble, airport sources said.

Emergency drill, including positioning of fire brigades and ambulances, was followed after the pilot informed the air traffic control (ATC) that he wanted to land as the cockpit panel had signalled problem with the hydraulic system of the Airbus A-320, the sources said.

The Delhi-Hyderabad-Tirupati flight, IC-942, made a "normal and safe" landing at 1141 hours and went "on its own power" to the bay earmarked for it where all the 68 passengers and six crew members disembarked, an airline spokesperson said.

The pilot decided to return to Delhi instead of flying to Hyderabad, after being on air for about 30 minutes when the indication about hydraulic problem appeared on the panel.

The aircraft was being examined by Air India's technical personnel, the Air India official said, adding that a separate aircraft was arranged to take the passengers to their destination.