New Delhi:
An Air India plane to Kochi, with 147 people on board, including the Minister of State for Food and Consumer Affairs K V Thomas, had to return to New Delhi within an hour after take-off today when the pilots found a fault in its air-conditioning system.
An Airbus A-321 aircraft, operating on Delhi-Kochi flight (AI467) with 141 passengers and six crew, took off around 6.30 AM from Indira Gandhi International Airport for Kochi, airport sources said.
Soon the pilots found that the plane's air-conditioning system was not working properly and decided to return.
The pilots, as a precautionary measure, informed the air traffic control tower at Delhi and sought permission to land.
The ATC cleared the aircraft which landed safely at around 7.20 AM, the sources said.
The passengers remained on board the plane as the engineers rectified the problem by replacing some components.
The aircraft left for Kochi at around 8.30 AM after a thorough engineering check, an airline official said.