An Air India Express flight from Calicut scheduled to land in Dubai was diverted to Muscat on Sunday after the crew detected a burning smell in the galley.
A faulty oven on Air India Express flight IX355 was thought to have caused the strong odour to spread. The oven was disconnected in Oman and 127 passengers and two infants were brought to Dubai after a six-hour delay.
“AI Express flight had a technical diversion to Muscat at 01.47am as the cabin crew felt there was a smell in the forward galley,” PP Singh, Air India’s regional manager, told The National.
“As a precautionary measure, the pilot decided to land in Muscat for further checks.
“The engineering team carried out checks and found there was an issue with an oven in the forward galley. Stringent checks were carried out.
“After disconnection of the oven, the flight continued to Dubai and arrived at 7.46am.”
The plane then flew from Dubai to Muscat with 156 passengers and one infant on board at 9.11am on Sunday.
Indian news media first reported the flight was diverted to Muscat following a burning odour from a vent in the cabin.
Ovens to heat pre-cooked meals are a feature of most aircraft galleys.
The cause of the oven malfunction has yet to be determined and repairs will take place once the plane is back in India.
Latest fault for Indian airlines
There have been other cases recently of aircraft operators diverting flights due to technical snags.
An IndiGo airlines flight from Sharjah to Hyderabad in southern India was rerouted on Sunday to Karachi. A replacement aircraft was sent by IndiGo to Pakistan to transport 186 passengers to India.
On Friday, India’s Cochin International Airport declared an emergency after a hydraulic failure was reported on an Air Arabia flight from Sharjah to Kochi, in southern India.
The aircraft with 222 passengers and seven crew were safe and the plane required to be towed.
Last week, a SpiceJet flight with more than 130 passengers that left Delhi for Dubai was diverted to Karachi due to a suspected oil leak.
A replacement plane was sent from India and brought the passengers to Dubai after a 12-hour delay.
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