Four passengers and a crew member required medical attention after a Swiss International Air Lines flight bound for Zurich aborted take-off at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport early Sunday morning following a suspected engine failure, which triggered an emergency evacuation.
“The aircraft, an Airbus A330-300 operating as flight SWR146 from Delhi to Zurich, rejected take-off from runway 28 at 1.27 am on Sunday. The aircraft was carrying 245 people on board, and the pilot in command was Captain Guillermo Maximiliano Mulet,” an official aware of the matter said.
In an earlier statement, Swiss Air mentioned six injured passengers, but two of them were later found to be accompanying people who were uninjured. The airline rectified the error later.
Four passengers now remain in hospital, while a cabin crew member has a sprained ankle. The other crew members are unharmed. Airline staff are on site supporting the passengers and will continue to do so as required.
Swiss air earlier said, “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. There were 228 passengers and four infants on board. Shortly after take-off, just after 1 am local time in India, 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.”
Officials said the aircraft had arrived in Delhi from Zurich at 11.40 pm on Saturday.
A full emergency was declared at 1.35 am, 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 (CFT) and Follow-Me vehicles were allowed onto the runway,” another official said.
Officials said the airline crew evacuated passengers on the runway as a precautionary measure.
Six passengers are currently receiving medical attention. “All passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft via the emergency slides. Six 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.
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.
Swiss Air said in an update, “All passengers were assisted and accompanied by our teams on site. We have accommodated them in hotels and rebooked them onto alternative flights. We were able to find an individual solution for all guests to continue their journey and remain in contact with them. We are aware that such an incident causes inconvenience, disrupts travel plans, and can also be unsettling. We deeply regret this. Our teams are doing everything they can to be there for our passengers and support them as best as possible.”
“We are determined to fully understand what led to this incident. This includes, in particular, determining what led to the engine problem. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused. We are aware that such an event can be stressful and traumatic for those affected. Our teams remain in close contact with our passengers and continue to support them even beyond the immediate situation. The safety of our guests and our crew is always our top priority,” Swiss Air said.
