Kochi-Bound Air India Express Flight Engine Catches Fire, Makes Emergency Landing At Bengaluru Airport

A Kochi-bound Air India Express flight had to make an emergency landing at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport after its engine caught fire. The incident happened just a few minutes after the flight took off from the Bengaluru airport on Saturday night. The flight was carrying 185 people and thankfully everyone was declared safe after the emergency landing.

Air India Express Flight Makes Emergency Landing After Engine Catches Fire

An Air India Express flight, IX 1132, made an emergency landing at 11:12 PM at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport. The engine of the Kochi-bound flight from Bengaluru caught fire which resulted in this emergency landing. According to reports, just a few minutes after the flight took off, an onboard crew noticed flames in the right engine and immediately reported it to the Air Traffic Controller (ATC).

A “full-scale” emergency was declared at the Bengaluru airport, and the fire was extinguished immediately upon landing. The cause of the fire hasn’t been identified yet, but the airline has reassured that an investigation will take place to know more about the incident.

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All Passengers On Board Declared Safe, Airline Releases Statement

The flight was carrying 179 passengers and 6 crew members on board. They were all evacuated successfully with no injuries reported. The airline expressed “regret” to its passengers due to this inconvenience. They also mentioned that they would “provide alternative arrangements” to help the passengers “reach their destination as soon as possible.”

Air India Express released a statement about this incident and said, “On May 18, 2024, flight IX 1132 from Bengaluru to Kochi made an emergency landing at Bengaluru airport at 11:12 pm after a reported fire in one of the engines. As flames were seen emanating from the right engine after takeoff, the Bengaluru- Kochi flight elected to return and carried out a precautionary landing at Bengaluru. The ground services also reported flames, resulting in an evacuation.”

We hope the airline is able to identify the cause of this incident and rectify it at the earliest. Let us know your two cents on this in the comments.

Cover Image Courtesy: Air India Express