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Full emergency declared at IGI airport after Delhi-Bangalore flight reports fire; lands back safely
The fire was reported in the flight's AC unit. There were 175 passengers on board.
A full emergency was declared at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport at around 5:52 pm for an Air India flight 807 from Delhi to Bangalore as fire was reported in the AC unit. There were 175 passengers on board. The flight, however, landed back safely at the IGI around 6.38pm.
As per report, a suspected fire was in the air conditioning unit, and an emergency was declared.
“Air India flight AI807 flying Delhi to Bengaluru air returned to Delhi this evening after a fire warning from its auxiliary power unit,” an Air India spokesperson said. “After the pilots exercised necessary protocols, the aircraft made an uneventful landing and all passengers and crew deplaned at the aerobridge safely.”
“Air India accords top priority to the safety and well-being of its passengers. Our colleagues on ground have made alternative arrangements for guests to proceed back to their destination at the earliest.”
As per data available on the flight tracking website flightradar24, the flight was operated with an A321 aircraft.
Officials at the Delhi Fire Services said that three fire tenders were pressed into service.
"We received a call from IGI Airport at 6.15 pm regarding a fire. We pressed three fire tenders," the DFS official said.
The incident comes days after the Delhi airport and several hospitals in the national capital were targeted with bomb threats via email on Sunday.
Delhi fire services chief informed that the call regarding the bomb threat at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was received at around 6.15pm.
“We received a call around 6.15 pm about a bomb threat at IGI Airport. Fire tenders have been rushed to the spot," Garg said.
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This incident follows closely on the heels of a recent spate of similar threats in Delhi and Ahmedabad. Just days ago, more than 130 schools across Delhi-NCR received identical emails, alleging the presence of explosives on their premises. The threats led to widespread panic, resulting in immediate evacuations and thorough searches of the educational institutions.
The Delhi Police approached Russian mailing service company Mail.ru via Interpol to trace the exact source of the e-mails. An FIR was registered against unknown persons stating that the intention of the bomb hoax e-mails was to create mass panic and disturb public order in the national capital.
