Zurich-bound Swiss flight aborts take off at Delhi airport after engine failure, fire; 5 injured

Five people, including crew member, suffered minor injuries to during the emergency evacuation of the Swiss flight.

Four passengers and a crew member suffered “minor injuries” and required medical attention after a Swiss International Air Lines flight bound for Zurich aborted take-off at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport early on Sunday following a suspected engine failure and fire reported near the plane’s landing gear, triggering an emergency evacuation.

The Airbus A330-300 aborted take off at Delhi airport. (Sourced)

“The aircraft, an Airbus A330-300 operating as flight SWR146 from Delhi to Zurich, rejected take-off from runway 28 at 1.27am on Sunday. It was carrying 245 people on board, and the pilot in command was captain Guillermo Maximiliano Mulet,” an official aware of the matter said.

Of the 245 people on board, 232 were passengers (129 Indian nationals, 103 international passengers) and 13 crew members, three of whom were Indians, officials said.

Four passengers were moved to a hospital, while a cabin crew member sustained a sprained ankle during the incident. The other crew members were unharmed, the airline said.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the matter, which is classified as a “serious incident,” according to a central government official who asked not to be identified.

“AAIB began its investigation on Sunday and collected the fuel sample. A team from the airline is also scheduled to fly down to Delhi to assist the investigation,” the official added.

Swiss Air issued a formal statement after the incident on Sunday, stating, “We are aware of an incident involving flight LX147 in Delhi. The aircraft involved is an Airbus A330, registration HB-JHK. SWISS has established a task force… Shortly after take-off, just after 1am local time, an issue occurred with one of the engines. The crew rejected the take-off and, following an assessment of the situation, decided as a precaution to evacuate the aircraft.”

A full emergency was declared at IGI Airport – the busiest in the country – at 1.35am, and Runway 28 was blocked. Smoke was reported on the left side of the aircraft and fire near the right landing gear, an official aware of the development said.

“The crew rejected take-off at a speed of around 106 knots after he informed ATC (air traffic control) that he was rejecting take-off due to one engine failure. The crew immediately requested fire services, after which crash fire tenders and follow-me vehicles were allowed onto the runway,” another official said.

Officials said the aircraft had arrived in Delhi from Zurich at 11.40pm on Saturday.

“All four passengers received minor injuries. While one was given first aid by the airport operator at Terminal 3 of IGI Airport, three others were taken to Medanta Hospital. A woman passenger suffered a minor fracture while using the emergency slides, while all others sustained bruises,” an official aware of the details of the incident told HT.

“All passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft via the emergency slides. Passengers are currently undergoing medical evaluation. For a small number of individuals who could not use the slides, stairs were provided,” the airline statement said.

“Despite the alarming nature of the incident, all tyres were found intact,” an official said.

The remaining 227 passengers were safely moved to the special reception centre (SRC) managed by Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which activated its Crisis Management Centre (CMC) and co-ordinated a multi-agency response.

Delhi airport also issued a statement. “In the early hours of this morning, a full emergency was declared at Delhi Airport involving Swiss International Airlines flight LX 147 (DEL-ZRH) on Runway 28/10. All prescribed safety protocols were promptly executed, and passengers were safely evacuated. Airport operations remained unaffected,” it said.