Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Air India Flight Loses Hydraulic Power; 24 Injured
An Air India plane flying from Phuket to Delhi had a serious problem in the sky.
All three systems that help control the airplane briefly lost hydraulic pressure.
The autopilot turned off, several warnings sounded and the plane moved up and down.
The plane first climbed and then dropped about 664 feet overall.
Because the seat-belt signs were off, some passengers and crew members were hurt.
The plane continued to Delhi and landed safely.
Medical teams treated 24 people, and four were hospitalized.
Investigators are studying the aircraft, its maintenance history and recorded flight data.
The pilot-in-command also had non-negative tests for a psychoactive substance, but investigators said this finding was not linked to the hydraulic problem.
Air India flight AI 2379 briefly lost pressure in all three hydraulic systems at 36,000 feet.
The Airbus A320-251N climbed 372 feet and then dropped about 292 feet, generating multiple warnings.
The aircraft was carrying 137 passengers, including three infants, six cabin crew members and two pilots.
Twenty passengers and four crew members received medical treatment after the cabin was damaged; four people were hospitalized.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is examining the technical failure, while the pilot-in-command’s non-negative psychoactive-substance tests prompted regulatory recommendations and termination by Air India.
- Who
- Air India flight AI 2379, carrying 137 passengers, six cabin crew members and two pilots.
- What
- The aircraft temporarily lost pressure in all three hydraulic systems, causing warnings, autopilot disengagement, an altitude upset and injuries.
- When
- The incident occurred on August 4, at about 9:32 a.m. IST; the aircraft landed at 11 a.m.
- Where
- The incident occurred at 36,000 feet during the Phuket-to-Delhi flight, in the Kolkata flight information region; the aircraft landed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
- Why
- The cause of the hydraulic failure has not been established. Investigators are examining maintenance, technical and operational factors.
- Flight
- Air India AI 2379
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320-251N, registered in India as VT-EXO
- Route
- Phuket to Delhi
- Hydraulic failure
- Pressure was lost in the green system, followed four seconds later by pressure loss in the blue and yellow systems; power was restored within seconds.
- Altitude change
- The aircraft climbed about 372 feet and then descended approximately 292 feet from its assigned altitude.
- Injuries
- Twenty passengers and four crew members were treated; four people were hospitalized.
- Investigation
- The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau downloaded the cockpit voice and flight-data recorders and collected hydraulic components and fluid samples.
