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Air India flight declares full emergency at Delhi airport, engine fire suspected
The flight, AI 2802, landed on runway 29R at Delhi airport and was being towed away.
An Air India flight travelling from Bengaluru to Delhi declared a full emergency at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital over a suspected engine fire and landed safely at around 9.30 pm on Thursday.
The flight, AI 2802, landed on runway 29R at Delhi airport and was towed away. There were 171 passengers on board the Airbus A320 aircraft. The runway resumed operations at 10:18 pm.
What happened? Air India shares statement on incident
In a statement, the airline said that during the aircraft's final approach to Delhi, the cockpit crew received a fire warning from one of the engines and the alert was later confirmed to be true.
The crew followed all standard operating procedures and safely landed the aircraft at Delhi airport. All passengers and crew members are safe and disembarked normally, the statement added.
“Air India is immediately initiating a full investigation into the cause of the incident in coordination with the relevant regulatory authorities. We are committed to sharing further verified information as soon as it becomes available. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority,” it further said.
In an earlier statement on the incident, Air India spokesperson said, “We are aware of an incident involving flight AI2802 operating from Bengaluru to Delhi on 21 May 2026. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew are safe. ”
“We are currently gathering additional information and are working closely with the relevant authorities. Further updates will be shared as more details become available.”
Incident happened same day AI flight was grounded after tail-strike
The incident comes after an Air India aircraft carrying 181 passengers suffered a tail strike while landing at Bengaluru airport on Thursday morning. The aircraft was later grounded for a detailed inspection.
The airline's narrow-body A321 aircraft was operating flight AI2651 from Delhi to Bengaluru.
An Air India spokesperson said the aircraft "experienced a tail-strike during landing". The spokesperson added that the plane landed safely and all passengers and crew members disembarked normally.
