An Air India Express flight bound for Kolkata was forced to return to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Sunday evening, August 3, 2025, after experiencing a mid-air hydraulic failure. Flight IX2718, operated by an Airbus A320, took off at 7:16 p.m., 11 minutes behind its scheduled 7:05 p.m. departure, but reported a technical issue shortly after.
A full emergency was declared at 8:21 p.m. to ensure preparedness for landing, and the aircraft circled for over two hours to reduce fuel and weight before safely landing at 9:19 p.m., according to Bengaluru airport sources and flight tracking data from Flightradar24.com.
An Air India Express spokesperson confirmed the incident, stating, “One of our flights from Bengaluru returned to the airport following a technical issue. The aircraft circled to reduce fuel and weight before executing a safe, precautionary landing.” All passengers and crew were unharmed, though the exact number of passengers was not disclosed.
The airline promptly arranged an alternate aircraft to ferry passengers to Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, with the flight departing later that night. The technical snag, identified as a hydraulic failure, is under investigation, with the aircraft grounded pending a thorough inspection by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
This incident follows a pattern of recent technical issues for Air India Express. On July 23, 2025, flight IX375 from Calicut to Doha returned to Calicut International Airport two hours after takeoff due to an air conditioning malfunction, landing safely at 11:12 a.m. An alternate flight was arranged, departing at 2:16 p.m.
Similarly, on July 28, flight IX1512 from Hindon to Kolkata was delayed over 12 hours due to a technical snag and airport time restrictions. These incidents have raised concerns about maintenance protocols, with social media posts on X highlighting passenger frustration and calls for stricter safety oversight, using hashtags like #AirIndiaExpress and #AviationSafety.
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The safe landing underscores the effectiveness of aviation safety protocols, as circling to burn fuel is a standard procedure to ensure a lighter, safer landing. However, the recurrence of technical issues has sparked debate about Air India Express’s fleet reliability, especially after its 2024 merger with AirAsia India, which expanded its fleet to 87 aircraft.
The DGCA is expected to release a preliminary report on the IX2718 incident within weeks, as the airline works to restore passenger confidence amid India’s booming aviation market, projected to handle 300 million passengers annually by 2030.
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