Zurich Bound Swiss Flight Engine Catches Fire during Take-off at IGI Airport Delhi; 6 injured—232 People Were On-board
The engine of a Swiss aircraft failed during takeoff at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. Swiss Airlines Flight LX147 was scheduled to take off at 1:08 AM on Saturday night. At that moment, one of its engines failed and caught fire. The pilot immediately brought the aircraft to a halt.
Officials stated that all passengers were safely evacuated from the runway using emergency slides. Six passengers sustained injuries. The flight was bound for Zurich, Switzerland.
The flight had 232 passengers on board—including four infants—along with the crew members.The aircraft was accelerating rapidly down Runway 28 at approximately 1:08 AM.
The pilots were fully prepared for takeoff when a technical malfunction was detected in the aircraft.An engine malfunction occurred, followed by the sighting of flames, prompting the decision to initiate an emergency evacuation.
Passengers and crew members evacuated using emergency slides
According to flight tracking data, the aircraft had reached a speed of 104 knots before the crew aborted the takeoff. Passengers and crew members were evacuated using the emergency slides. Six passengers sustained injuries during the emergency evacuation.
Due to the chaotic nature of the evacuation, six passengers suffered injuries while exiting the aircraft. They were taken to Medanta Hospital for treatment. According to airport officials, the runway will remain closed until the aircraft is removed from the site.
Swiss Airlines forms task force
In a statement issued by Swiss Airlines, the carrier acknowledged that it had been made aware of an incident involving Flight LX147 in Delhi. The aircraft involved in this incident is an Airbus A330 (HB-JHK). Swiss has formed a task force to address the situation.
In a statement, Swiss Airlines said, "We have received information regarding an incident involving flight LX147 in Delhi. The aircraft involved in the technical malfunction is an Airbus A330. The incident occurred shortly after 1:00 AM Indian Standard Time. As the aircraft entered the runway for takeoff, smoke was observed emanating from the landing gear on the left side of the aircraft. The flight was immediately halted thereafter."
The airline added, "Our local teams are currently on the ground at the site and are attending to the passengers. We are working in close coordination with local authorities regarding this matter. A team from our organization will soon travel to Delhi to conduct a thorough investigation into the causes behind this incident."
This marks the second major aircraft-related incident at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport within the last 10 days. On April 16, aircraft belonging to SpiceJet and Akasa Air collided with each other. The Akasa Air aircraft was standing ready for departure to Hyderabad when a SpiceJet aircraft, arriving from Leh, collided with it.
In the collision, a section of the SpiceJet aircraft's right wing pierced the rear section of the Akasa Air aircraft's left wing. Following the incident, airport staff safely disembarked all passengers aboard both planes. No passengers sustained injuries in the accident.