An Air India flight from Newark to Delhi, carrying 292 passengers, made an emergency landing in Stockholm Wednesday morning due to an oil leak in one of the engines, and aviation regulator DGCA will probe the incident, according to senior officials.
The passengers and the crew are still at Stockholm and sources said the airline is looking at the option of sending a ferry aircraft to bring them to Delhi.
A senior DGCA official said the flight, operated with a Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, had an oil leak in one of the engines. Following this, the engine was shut down, and later the aircraft made an emergency landing in Stockholm, Sweden.
Air India's statement
In a late Wednesday evening statement, an Air India spokesperson said the airline was in discussion with the Swedish authorities to seek approval for immigration clearance for some of the passengers who were still at the airport.
Earlier in another statement, the spokesperson said its flight AI 106 from Newark (US) to Delhi faced a technical issue and was diverted to Stockholm early Wednesday morning with 284 passengers and eight infants on board.
The airline said the flight landed safely and that the aircraft is being thoroughly checked to address the technical issue.
In the updated statement issued late Wednesday evening, Air India said it had arranged hotel accommodation for all guests.
"Several have cleared immigration and checked in, and we are in discussion with the Swedish authorities to seek approval for immigration clearance for some of our guests who are still at the airport.
"All guests at the airport are being offered meals and refreshments," it said.
Around 143 passengers are still at the airport and food has been arranged for them. The lounge area at the airport has been cordoned off for the passengers, the sources said.
The visa process for each passenger is likely to take around 40 minutes and after getting the visa, they will check in to hotels, the sources said.
All about the technical snag
The flight, which landed at the Arlanda airport, had a total of 311 people on board, including 15 cabin crew and 4 pilots.
During the ground inspection, oil was seen coming out from the drain mast of engine two. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will probe the incident, the DGCA official said.
On Monday, an Air India flight from New York to Delhi was diverted to London due to a medical emergency.
(With PTI Inputs)
