Air India Pilot Makes ‘PAN PAN’ Call On Mumbai-Bengaluru Flight After Engine Stalls Mid-Air

Mumbai: A Bengaluru-bound Air India flight was forced to make an emergency return to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Thursday after one of its engines stalls shortly after take-off.

The incident was recorded on Air India’s flight no. AI-2812, which departed from CSMIA at 2.14pm, around nine minutes later than its scheduled time. However, the aircraft suffered a severe technical malfunction in the right engine and was made to return to its point of origin, where it landed roughly 20 minutes later. The aircraft landed safely at Mumbai and passengers were made to disembark to allow maintenance check.

According to sources, a few passengers reported that they heard some noise and saw sparks during the take-off. Adhering to standard operating procedures for such emergencies, the pilot-in-command immediately declared a "PAN-PAN" call and returned the flight to CSMIA. A PAN-PAN call is used to signify an urgent situation that is not yet a direct life-threatening emergency but requires priority handling from air traffic control.

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However, Air India claimed that the aircraft returned shortly after take-off “as a precaution due to a suspected technical issue.” It added that the aircraft landed safely and is undergoing detailed technical inspections in line with Air India’s safety standards. “We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers. Our Mumbai airport teams provided immediate assistance, and an alternative aircraft was arranged to operate the flight,” said an Air India spokesperson.

According to sources, the passengers embarked on their journey on another aircraft which took-off at 4.45pm, over 2.5 hours later than the actual time of departure.