New Delhi - What happened on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight of Air India on June 12, 2025, shocked both the passengers and the pilots. The plane, which was going from Delhi to London, suddenly suffered a dangerous technical glitch and the pilots had to face an emergency situation in the sky. In this article, we will tell what happened in the cockpit that day - the details of every moment.
Where did it fly from and what were the flight details?
Air India flight AI-161 took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport to Heathrow Airport in London at 2:15 pm on June 12. There were a total of 231 passengers and 14 crew members on board the plane. The plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, known for long-haul international flights.
Normal start, then came the first setback
The first two hours of the flight were normal. The plane was stable at an altitude of 35,000 feet and the pilots were in auto-pilot mode. Then suddenly a warning alarm rang in the cockpit — it was an indication of “ENG 2 OIL PRESS LOW”, which meant that the oil pressure in the right engine was falling dangerously.
Pilot's first reaction
Captain Rohit Gupta and co-pilot Shubham Verma were immediately alert. They monitored all the readings of Engine 2 and saw that the oil pressure was falling rapidly. They put the engine in “IDLE” mode and immediately contacted the flight director.
Second setback - smoke in the cockpit
The pilots were still handling the problem when smoke was felt in the cockpit. The co-pilot immediately wore an oxygen mask and activated the “Smoke in Cockpit” protocol. During this, the pilot took control from the auto-pilot mode and tried to bring the plane to 30,000 feet.
Passengers also got disturbed
The smoke was confined to the cockpit, but some passengers who were sitting close to the business class complained of a burning smell. The crew immediately asked all the passengers to fasten their seat belts and declared an emergency.
Decision to make an emergency landing
When it became clear that the engine could fail completely and the smoke was severe, the pilot sought an emergency landing at the nearest airport. The nearest was Karachi Airport, but that option was not chosen due to the political situation.
Landing in Lucknow
Finally, the pilots contacted Lucknow Air Traffic Control (ATC) and sought approval for an emergency landing. Lucknow Airport was cleared and the plane landed safely at 4:38 pm.
Situation after landing
As soon as the plane landed, the ground crew checked the engine and found that the problem was due to oil leakage in engine number 2. Apart from this, smoke arose due to a spark in a circuit in the cockpit. Air India immediately sent all the passengers to London by another plane and started technical investigation.
DGCA and Air India's response
India's aviation regulatory body DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) has launched an investigation into the matter. An Air India spokesperson said:
"Our pilots took the right decision and put passenger safety first. This technical glitch was unfortunate, but everyone was safely evacuated."
Investigation of cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder
DGCA officials are now examining the flight's black boxes - the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) - to find out what exactly caused the engine failure and how the smoke was generated.
Passengers' response
Many of the passengers shared their experiences on social media. One passenger wrote:
"We thought it was all over. But the pilot and crew handled everything so smartly that we are all safe."
Is this normal on Boeing Dreamliners?
Boeing 787 Dreamliner is known for its cutting-edge technology, but in the past few years, problems like oil leakage and battery overheating have been coming up in it. Recently, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in the US had warned Boeing about some technical flaws.
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