Hours after reports of a fire in one of the engines of an international cargo plane during landing at the Chennai airport, authorities of the facility clarified that “there was no major fire” but only “a minor spark”.
The cargo plane, which was coming from Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur, landed safely at Chennai. The fire erupted in the fourth engine of the cargo plane during landing, prompting the pilots to alert the officials, news agency PTI reported, citing official sources.
The Chennai International Airport issued a clarification over the reports, saying, "It is hereby stated that there was no major fire in the engine while landing. There was a minor spark and smoke in the engine, which may be due to oil dirt, residues, etc."
It added that the aircraft did not suffer any damage in the incident. The airport authority emphasised that the matter had been "blown out of proportion".
ALSO READ | Air India flight saw 'heart-stopping moment', claims Congress MP; airline responds
"We request the media and press who are business partners of Chennai International Airport to refrain from publishing such reports without confirming from the O/o Airport Director, Chennai Airport so as to not create panic among the travelling public," the Chennai Airport authority said in the statement.
{{/usCountry}}"We request the media and press who are business partners of Chennai International Airport to refrain from publishing such reports without confirming from the O/o Airport Director, Chennai Airport so as to not create panic among the travelling public," the Chennai Airport authority said in the statement.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, officials said that reportedly no emergency landing made, and the pilots landed the aircraft safely.
In other news, Air India on Monday said that a Delhi-bound flight from Thiruvananthapuram was diverted to Chennai on Sunday, following the protocols. The airline said that the first landing attempt had to be aborted due to the suspected presence of foreign debris on the runway amid safety concerns raised by some Parliamentarians who were onboard the plane.
ALSO READ | DGCA rejects MP’s claim on flight safety after Air India flight to Delhi gets diverted
The flight AI2455, which was diverted to Chennai after a suspected technical issue, landed safely.
India's aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said Air India's flight to Delhi was diverted to Chennai on Sunday evening because of a suspected malfunction of the weather radar of the aircraft.
Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal, among the other Parliamentarians aboard the plane, claimed that the aircraft came "frighteningly close to tragedy".
(with PTI inputs)