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The Air India plane was flying to Chennai when the burning smell was detected in the cabin, prompting the pilots to land the aircraft back in Mumbai.
Air India. (File photo)
A Chennai-bound Air India flight made a “precautionary” return to Mumbai after a burning smell was detected in the cabin midair, the airline said on Saturday.
The incident took place on AI639 aircraft, which was headed to Chennai on Friday evening.
“The crew of flight AI639 operating from Mumbai to Chennai on Friday, 27 June 2025, made a precautionary air-return to Mumbai due to a burning smell in the cabin,” Air India statement said.
The flight landed safely in Mumbai, where the aircraft change was initiated for the passengers.
“Our ground colleagues in Mumbai provided all necessary support to passengers to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption. At Air India, the safety and well-being of our guests and crew remain top priority,” the statement said.
Air India has launched an investigation to ascertain what went wrong with the aircraft.
This incident adds to a string of recent safety-related occurrences involving Air India flights in June 2025, including technical snags, midair returns, and bomb threat diversions, all of which have heightened scrutiny over the airline’s operations and aircraft maintenance protocols since the deadly AI171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12.
Earlier this week, up to 11 passengers and crew members reportedly fell ill with food poisoning on a nine-hour Air India flight from London, The Sun reported.
The passengers said that they felt dizzy and nauseous on the flight to Mumbai.
Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes…Read More
Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes… Read More
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