An Air India Express flight from Kochi to Abu Dhabi was forced to turn back mid-flight after the crew detected a rapidly falling oil quantity in one of the aircraft’s engines, with the oil pressure entering the danger zone.

The Boeing 737 operating flight IX 415 later landed safely at Cochin International Airport.

Sources said the aircraft was around 50 minutes into the flight and flying at an altitude of 36,000 feet when the pilot and co-pilot noticed that the oil quantity in Engine 1 was dropping rapidly, news agency ANI reported.

The crew carried out a FORDEC assessment, a decision-making framework, after detecting the abnormal oil indication. However, as the oil quantity continued to fall, they decided to abandon the Abu Dhabi sector and return to Kochi, sources said.

As the situation progressed and the oil pressure in Engine 1 entered the danger zone, the crew was forced to shut down the engine.

The aircraft subsequently returned to Cochin International Airport and landed safely.

– Ends

Published By:

Devika Bhattacharya

Published On:

Sep 7, 2026 12:58 IST