Delhi-bound AI Express flight makes precautionary landing at Lucknow airport after smoke alarm goes off
Preliminary checks at Lucknow airport found no sign of smoke or fire in the aircraft,
On Thursday morning, September 3, 2026, an Air India Express flight bound for Delhi made an emergency landing at Lucknow airport after a smoke alarm activated in the aircraft's cargo hold. However, initial investigations at Lucknow airport revealed no evidence of smoke or fire on the plane. The flight, carrying 155 passengers, had taken off from Varanasi around 8 a.m. Shortly after leaving the ground, the smoke detection alarm in the cargo hold was triggered.
The pilot then contacted Lucknow Air Traffic Control and requested permission to land. The aircraft touched down at Lucknow airport at 8:52 a.m., where the airport's emergency response team, fire brigade personnel and technical experts arrived shortly afterward. All 155 passengers and crew members disembarked the plane at 9:02 a.m. An Air India Express spokesperson stated that the crew, prioritizing passenger safety, opted for a precautionary landing due to the technical issue detected in the cargo hold.
The plane landed safely, and all passengers were offered refreshments upon arrival at Lucknow airport. A replacement aircraft is being arranged promptly to transport the passengers to their intended destination. The airline added that the aircraft was moved to a hangar, where a preliminary inspection found no signs of smoke or fire inside the plane. An investigation is currently underway to determine the reason for the smoke alarm activation.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
