New Delhi: An Air India Express flight heading from Varanasi to Delhi made an unscheduled precautionary landing at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport on Thursday morning after an onboard smoke detection alarm was triggered in the cargo hold. Initial emergency inspections conducted on the tarmac revealed no trace of fire or smoke, pointing toward a possible false alarm.
Flight IX 1253, carrying 155 passengers alongside operating crew, departed Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi shortly after 8:00 a.m. The cockpit crew detected a cargo-hold smoke warning soon after takeoff and immediately alerted Lucknow Air Traffic Control to request clearance for a priority diversion.
The aircraft touched down safely in Lucknow at 8:52 a.m., where airport emergency response units, fire crews, and technical teams stood by to assist. All 155 passengers and crew members were deboarded safely by 9:02 a.m. without reported injuries, after which the plane was escorted to a hangar for detailed technical examination.
Aviation technical teams are conducting a thorough inquiry to determine what caused the cargo hold sensor to trigger unexpectedly. Airline authorities arranged alternate travel accommodations for the stranded passengers to complete their journey to New Delhi.
