Vistara flight's precautionary landing saved lives of air passengers

New Delhi, Feb 17 An Amritsar-bound Vistara flight safely returned to Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI), after it developed a technical snag on Thursday morning.

Earlier, it was said that the flight had to make an emergency landing. The airline told IANS that it was a precautionary turn around.

"A technical snag was detected on Vistara flight UK 697 operating from Delhi to Amritsar on February 17. As a precautionary step, the pilots decided to turn back and land safely at the IGI Airport.

"Another aircraft was immediately arranged to fly the passengers to Amritsar which took off at 1.30 p.m. post a technical inspection. Inconvenience to passengers is deeply regretted. Safety of our customers and staff is our top priority," a Vistara spokesperson said.

There were 146 passengers inside the flight when it took off from IGI for Amritsar.

The emergency was sounded at runway number 28 of terminal number 2, bound for domestic flight. The pilot detected the snag and immediately contacted the airport authority.

Soon, other agencies such as police and fire brigade were also pressed into service.

A senior police official said that they received a call regarding the emergency landing at 10.15 a.m. However, no one was hurt in the incident, he said.

According to the fire department, as soon as they received the call, six fire engines were rushed to the IGI.