Summary
- Engine fire on Air India Express flight leads to an emergency landing in Bengaluru, but all 179 passengers safely evacuated.
- The crew’s quick motion and secure evacuation were praised by passengers.
- The aircraft previously flew for AirAsia India.
There have been some tense moments for passengers and crew of an Air India Express flight from Bengaluru to Kochi in South India when one in every of its engines caught fire shortly after takeoff. While any type of emergency midair will be nerve-racking, a hearth can definitely be panic-inducing. Thankfully, the crew managed to securely evacuate the Airbus A320 upon landing with no reported injuries.
Engine fire forces emergency landing
On May 18, an Air India Express flight took off from Bangaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) for a scheduled flight IX 1132 to Cochin International Airport (COK) in Kerala. The Airbus A320 departed greater than an hour late at 22:59 against a scheduled departure of 21:45.
But shortly after takeoff, flames were seen coming out of the proper engine. This prompted a right away turnaround of the A320 by the cockpit crew back to Bengaluru airport, where a full emergency was declared. A spokesperson for BIAL, which manages Bengaluru Airport, said,
Secure evacuation
Indeed, the flight crew members followed protocol and evacuated the plane after the fireplace was extinguished. Citing PTI, Mint quotes one in every of the passengers of the aircraft as saying,
“They were very responsible. They assisted us in exiting. They did all the things possible in a single minute to rescue us. We’re grateful to them.”
A situation like this will be panic-inducing, and one in every of the videos circulating on social media shows a flight attendant instructing the passengers to stay seated until further instructions from the captain, adding that all the things is under control.
Air India Express made alternate arrangements for the passengers to achieve Kochi, although there have been some inconveniences related to baggage. In response to Mint, one in every of the passengers said that while they received their hand baggage, she still didn’t receive her check-in luggage, which the airline promised could be delivered to her home address. Easy Flying has contacted Air India Express for a comment regarding the incident and can update the article as and after we receive it.
Concerning the aircraft
The aircraft involved within the incident is a ten.3-year-old Airbus A320-200, registered VT-ATF. It previously flew for AirAsia India but recently got transferred to Air India Express as a part of their merger process.
Air India Express exclusively operated Boeing 737 aircraft before it became privatized. But when the Tata Group took over, the brand new management decided to merge it with AirAsia India, turning it right into a more consolidated low-cost carrier that may complement its full-service parent airline, Air India, which itself is going through a merger process with Vistara.
Air India Express, which previously primarily operated medium-haul international flights, has now been doubling down on domestic operations, particularly to tier-2 and three cities, because it expands its reach inside the country.
![Air India Express Boeing 737](https://static1.simpleflyingimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/plane-image_5.jpg)
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Have you ever experienced a midair emergency during a flight? Please tell us within the comment section below.