HYDERABAD: Sixty-five in-flight engine shutdowns in five years. Eleven "Mayday" distress calls from aircraft cockpits in 17 months, excluding the London-bound AI-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 and a diverted domestic IndiGo flight.These numbers, obtained by TOI through a Right to Information (RTI) query to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), suggest a scary reality: engine malfunctions plague airlines operating in India at the rate of nearly one incident a month.Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's report mentioning fuel cut-off to engines of the crashed AI Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner fits the broader pattern of technical failures being handled by experienced pilots, until one crops up that is unmanageable.DGCA data covers all engine shutdowns, including failures during take-off and mid-air. "A total of 65 incidents related to in-flight shutdown of engines from 2020 to 2025 (till date) were reported across India," states the aviation regulator's RTI reply.In all 65 of these instances, pilots were able to safely manoeuvre aircraft to the nearest airport with a single, unaffected engine. Experts attribute engine shutdowns to technical issues ranging from low fuel to turbine malfunction and faulty electronic components.

"Primary causes of engine shutdowns include blocked fuel filters, fuel contamination with water, interrupted fuel supply to engines, and foreign objects entering engine stack, all of which can halt flight operations," Capt C S Randhawa, president of the Federation of Indian Pilots, told TOI.The RTI data shows that between Jan 1, 2024, and May 31, 2025, there were Mayday calls from 11 flights, reporting various technical glitches and seeking emergency landing.

Besides AI-171, the list doesn't include a June 19 IndiGo flight from Guwahati to Chennai that had to be redirected to Bengaluru due to congestion at the destination, only for the aircraft to report low fuel around 35km before landing.RTI data reveals that four of the 11 flights issued distress calls due to technical glitches and landed at Hyderabad. Airline Pilots' Association of India states that Mayday signals are exclusively used in life-threatening situations, distinguishing them from "Pan Pan" urgency alerts."Flight crew initiate MAYDAY calls when confronted with critical emergencies such as aircraft fires, engine failures or situations posing imminent danger, necessitating immediate landing or grounding as continued flight becomes unsafe," said Anil Rao, secretary of ALPA India.AX Joseph, director of air safety at DGCA, said the aviation regulator was responsible for promulgating "civil aviation requirements, circulars, aeronautical information circulars and public notices for compliance by the stakeholders to ensure safe operations".While experts say that in-flight engine shutdowns and Mayday calls aren't uncommon across the world, India's position in global aviation safety standards may not be confidence-inspiring. The International Civil Aviation Organisation has ranked the country 48th in its worldwide safety oversight mechanism.