Air India Express plane's engine catches fire; full-scale emergency declared at Bengaluru airport
PTC News Desk: A full-scale emergency was declared at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) on Saturday night due to a fire in one of its engines.
“Flight IX 1132 made an emergency landing at 23:12 hours due to a reported fire in one of the engines. A full-scale emergency was declared,” the BIAL said. “The fire was promptly extinguished upon landing. All 179 passengers and six crew members were successfully evacuated from the aircraft.”
Meanwhile, Air India Express reported that the pilots "elected" to return to Bengaluru owing to suspected flames in the aircraft's right engine.
“Accordingly, a precautionary landing was carried out. The ground services also reported flames, resulting in an evacuation,” the airline said in its press release.
The carrier lauded the flight crew for safely evacuating the passengers.
“We regret the inconvenience this has caused and are working to provide alternative arrangements for our guests to reach their destination as soon as possible. A thorough investigation with the regulator shall be accomplished to establish the cause.”
- With inputs from agencies
