A flight to Dubai was returned to its departure airport following technical difficulties while up in the air.
The Air India Express flight from Kerala, India heading to the UAE reported a malfunction to its air-conditioning system after take-off.
The flight was carrying more than 170 passengers and flight crew took the decision to return to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to resolve the issue.
The airline and airport both issued statements identifying a malfunctioning AC as the technical issue forcing the flight to turn back.
“A Dubai-bound Air India Express flight returned to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport after a malfunction in the AC. The flight took off at 1.19pm and returned at 3.52pm,” Thiruvananthapuram International Airport stated.
174 passengers on the plane were safely returned to Kerala before Air India Express arranged a change of aircraft and a rescheduled flight.
