Singapore-bound flight turns back due to technical issues

Singapore-bound flight turns back due to technical issues

Murali N. Krishnaswamy

CHENNAI 11.01.2025

A scheduled Air India flight, AI346, on the Chennai-Singapore sector, returned to base early on Friday, after the crew experienced technical difficulties.

The Airbus A321 had left Chennai at 12.33 a.m. and had climbed to 30,000 ft, when the crew squawked the emergency transponder code 7600 around 2 a.m., according to an aviation source. This indicates that an aircraft has experienced radio communication issues or has lost radio contact.

After the crew followed standard operating procedures with Chennai air traffic control, the aircraft was put in a holding pattern at an altitude of about 10,000 ft in the airspace over the Bay of Bengal to burn fuel. The jet then made a safe landing at 4.12 a.m. and was parked in a bay at the secondary runway. An airline spokesperson said alternative arrangements were promptly made and the nearly 160 passengers were flown to Singapore on a relief aircraft, an Airbus A320N, at 7.20 a.m. on Friday.