Kannur, June 16 (IANS) The passengers of an Air India Express flight from Kerala’s Kannur to Jeddah went through tense moments on Tuesday after the aircraft developed a suspected technical problem shortly after take-off, forcing the crew to return to Kannur International Airport.

The flight, which took off from Kannur at around 7.03 a.m., detected a technical snag approximately 30 minutes into the journey.

Following standard safety procedures, the pilots decided to return to the airport of origin instead of continuing the international flight.

However, since the aircraft was carrying a heavy fuel load for the long-haul journey to Jeddah, the crew had to reduce the fuel weight before landing.

The aircraft began circling over the region to dump fuel safely, completing around 18 rounds in the air before making its approach to Kannur.

The aircraft finally landed safely at 9 a.m., bringing relief to passengers and airport authorities who were closely monitoring the situation.

A total of 180 passengers were on board the aircraft.

According to preliminary reports, the aircraft had recently reported an issue related to its Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).

The snag was attended to, and the aircraft was cleared for operations.

However, authorities are now carrying out detailed examinations to determine whether the earlier issue had any connection with the technical problem experienced during the flight.

Airport officials and technical teams are expected to conduct further checks before the aircraft is cleared for service again.

More details are awaited.

The incident highlights the importance of safety procedures followed by flight crews during technical emergencies.

The decision to return to Kannur and carry out fuel dumping was taken as a precautionary measure, ensuring that the aircraft could land within safe weight limits.

The tensed passengers were later attended to by airline officials, and arrangements for their onward journey are likely to be made after necessary checks, said the officials.

–IANS

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