Zurich flight aborts take-off after engine fire at Delhi airport

A Zurich-bound Swiss International Airlines flight was forced to abort take-off at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the early hours of Sunday after an engine failure led to a fire, prompting a full emergency and evacuation that left four passengers injured.

Flight LX147, operated by an Airbus A330-300, was on its take-off roll on Runway 28 at around 1.08 am when engine number one malfunctioned and caught fire. Sources said the aircraft had accelerated to about 104 knots when the crew detected the fault and immediately rejected take-off in line with safety protocols.

The aircraft was carrying 232 passengers, including four infants, and 13 crew members at the time of the incident. The airline said shortly after 1 am, an issue occurred with one of the engines during take-off. The cockpit crew declared a full emergency and, after assessing the situation, decided to evacuate the aircraft as a precaution.

Passengers were evacuated using inflatable emergency slides. During the process, four passengers sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital. In addition, a cabin crew member suffered a sprained ankle, while the rest of the crew escaped unhurt.

Sources said while initial communication from air traffic control suggested a possible tyre-related issue, a subsequent inspection by the airside team confirmed that the incident was linked to the engine failure during the rejected take-off. Smoke was observed during the sequence, which led to the emergency response being activated.

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said a full emergency was declared in the early hours involving flight LX147 on Runway 28/10, and all prescribed safety procedures were promptly carried out. It said that passengers were evacuated safely and airport operations remained unaffected despite the incident.

In a statement, the airline said it would carry out a detailed investigation to understand what led to the engine failure. It also said Swiss technical specialists would travel to Delhi to inspect the aircraft and decide the next course of action.

The airline acknowledged that the incident could be distressing for passengers and said its teams were in constant contact with those affected. It said that all passengers have been accommodated in hotels and rebooked on alternative flights, with arrangements made to ensure they can continue their journey.

Regretting the disruption, the airline said it was extending support to passengers beyond the immediate situation as it works to establish the cause of the incident.