Report shows 65 incidents of flight engine failures since 2020
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New Delhi: Information obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) request by the Times of India has revealed that India has recorded 65 cases of in-flight engine shutdowns over the past five years, according to data provided by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The DGCA noted that all these incidents, which occurred between 2020 and 2025 (up to the current date), involved pilots successfully landing the aircraft with the help of the unaffected engine. These figures point to an average of nearly one such incident occurring every month on Indian-operated flights.
The report also highlighted that in a 17-month period—from January 1, 2024, to May 31, 2025—cockpit crews issued 11 "Mayday" distress calls due to technical failures, requesting emergency landings.
However, the data did not include two notable incidents: the crash of Air India’s AI-171 flight in Ahmedabad on June 12 and a diverted IndiGo flight on June 19, The Wire reported.
Out of the 11 distress calls recorded, four flights landed in Hyderabad after encountering technical problems, the data showed.
According to Anil Rao, secretary of the Airline Pilots' Association of India (ALPA), pilots declare a Mayday in response to life-threatening situations such as engine failure, onboard fires, or any emergency that makes it unsafe to continue flying. In such cases, crews are trained to request immediate landing or grounding of the aircraft to avoid further risk.
