India, Sept. 2 -- A SpiceJet flight (SG 937) from Pune to Delhi had to return and land at the city airport on Monday after the pilot detected a technical issue mid-air.

According to initial information, the aircraft had taken off as per schedule, but within a short duration of flying, the pilot noticed a technical problem and sought permission from the Air Traffic Control (ATC) to return. The aircraft landed safely and passengers were deplaned normally, SpiceJet said in a statement.

The airport authorities clarified that it was not treated as an emergency, as no 'Mayday' distress call was made to ATC. They confirmed that the pilot's decision was precautionary and based purely on technical grounds.

Santosh Dhoke, director, Pune airport,...