SpiceJet plane catches fire at Delhi Airport during engine maintenance

The airline company said both the aircraft and the maintenance personnel are safe.

A SpiceJet aircraft caught fire during engine maintenance works at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Tuesday. A spokesperson for the airline said both aircraft and maintenance personnel are safe. The spokesperson said that during the maintenance work, the engineer observed a fire warning on one of the engines around 8 pm while the engine ground run was being conducted.

A purported video of the incident also went viral on social media.

“On July 25, SpiceJet Q400 aircraft was under maintenance. While carrying out engine ground run at idle power at bay, the Aircraft Maintenance Engineer observed fire warning on #1 Engine. Aircraft fire extinguisher bottle was discharged," the spokesperson said in a statement.

As a precautionary measure, a fire brigade was also called on the spot, the airline said.

'Video surfaces'

A purported video of the incident also surfaced on social media and is going viral. The video showed a section of the aircraft on fire, emitting thick, billowing smoke that swirled in the air.

Q400s are turbo-prop aircrafts that can accommodate 78 passengers and 90 passengers, as per the airline's website.

Spicejet is an Indian airline, founded in 1984. In October last year, the airline faced a temporary 50% cap on the number of flights it can operate after a string of air safety incidents occurred. Earlier today, the aviation regulator DGCA said it has taken off SpiceJet from its enhanced surveillance regime.