Hyderabad, June 19 (IANS) A SpiceJet flight from Hyderabad to Tirupati returned 10 minutes after taking off from Hyderabad airport due to a technical problem on Thursday.

The flight SG 2696 with 80 passengers on board had taken off for Tirupati from the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad at 6.10 a.m. However, minutes later, the pilot detected a technical problem. He immediately contacted Air Traffic Control and sought permission to return to the airport.

The airlines stated that a SpiceJet Q400 aircraft operating the Hyderabad–Tirupati flight experienced an intermittent illumination of the AFT baggage door light after take-off. “Cabin pressurisation remained normal throughout. As a precautionary measure, the pilots decided to return to Hyderabad. The aircraft landed safely and passengers were deplaned normally,” it said.

SpiceJet clarified that the aircraft did not make an emergency landing. An alternate aircraft has been arranged to operate the onward journey to Tirupati.

In the wake of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed over 270 lives, including on the ground, many flights across various airlines and routes were cancelled or diverted due to technical snags and security threats.

On June 15, a Hyderabad-bound Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt returned to the German airport after a bomb threat was received at the Hyderabad airport.

Authorities at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport received a bomb threat email at 6.01 p.m. on June 15. According to officials, a bomb threat assessment committee was formed, and all procedures were followed as per SOP. In the interest of safety, the airline was advised to divert back to the origin or the nearest suitable airport.

Later, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad received a message that the flight was returning to Frankfurt.

The flight took off from Frankfurt airport around 2.15 p.m. It had not entered the Indian airspace when it returned. After two hours into its journey, Flight LH752 returned and safely landed at Frankfurt airport.

On June 12, an Air India plane crashed minutes after taking off for London Gatwick Airport from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, killing 241 out of 242 people on board. The tragedy also claimed the lives of 33 people on the ground.

–IANS

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