Engine oil drops sharply at 36,000 feet, Air India Express flight returns to Kochi

KOCHI: An Air India Express flight bound for Abu Dhabi was forced to turn back to Kochi after the oil level in one of its engines dropped sharply mid-flight. The incident occurred on August 31, when the Boeing 737 aircraft returned to Cochin International Airport after an emergency was reported.

Air India Express officials said the crew followed the standard safety protocol of returning to the airport after detecting the issue.

About an hour after take-off, while the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 36,000 feet, the pilots noticed an abnormal drop in the oil level of the first engine. As the oil pressure fell to a dangerously low level, the pilots shut down the engine.

With safety as the priority, the crew then decided to discontinue the flight to Abu Dhabi and return to Kochi. The airline said the passengers were later flown to Abu Dhabi on another aircraft.

The aircraft was still within Indian airspace when the engine oil issue was detected, allowing the crew to return safely to Kochi. The airline said that had the aircraft landed in another country, arrangements would have been required to bring in the necessary facilities and equipment to address the technical issue.

Meanwhile, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) clarified that the incident took place in the last week of August and was not a recent development.

CIAL, which operates the airport, also said it had no further official information regarding the technical details of the incident.