An Indian plane with 150 people on board was forced to return to the New Delhi shortly after takeoff on Tuesday morning following a technical malfunction, reported Indian media.
The SpiceJet’s Boeing 737 aircraft, operating flight SG121 from Delhi to Leh, turned back within minutes of departure after sparks and flames were reportedly seen mid-air, raising concerns about a possible engine-related problem.
The flight, which had departed from Delhi for Leh in Ladakh, made a precautionary return as a safety measure.
According to news agency PTI, the Leh-bound SpiceJet aircraft returned to Delhi due to an engine issue. There were around 150 people on board the aircraft at the time of the incident.
Initial inputs indicate that the primary cause was linked to a problem in the aircraft’s second engine, though an official confirmation was awaited.
The aircraft safely landed back in Delhi, and no injuries were reported among passengers or crew members.
PTI also quoted a SpiceJet spokesperson as saying that the flight had experienced a technical issue soon after takeoff, prompting the crew to discontinue the journey and return to the departure airport.
“The aircraft landed safely in Delhi, and all passengers were disembarked normally," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The report further claimed that the crew followed standard safety procedures after detecting the malfunction, prioritising passenger safety.
The decision to return shortly after departure was taken as a precautionary step after the suspected engine problem was identified during the climb phase of the flight.