A Zurich-bound Swiss International Air Lines flight was forced to abort takeoff at Delhi airport early on Sunday following a snag in the engine, triggering an emergency on the runway and immediate evacuation of passengers that left four of them injured.
One crew member also suffered a minor foot injury.
There were 232 passengers, including four infants, and 13 crew members on board the A330-300 aircraft when the incident took place at 1am.
Several videos that surfaced on social media captured the moment of panic and confusion when the aircraft aborted the takeoff.
Sources said smoke was observed from the port side of the main wheel and initially, the input was that there was smoke from one of the landing gears.
According to Flightradar24, a flight-tracking platform, the 14-year-old Airbus aborted takeoff after reaching a speed of 104 knots following an engine fire.
The aircraft, which was accelerating for liftoff on Runway 28, came to a stop and promptly began evacuation. The staff swung into action and deployed the emergency slides. Visuals showed ground staff and emergency personnel assisting passengers, instructing them to move away from the aircraft as quickly as possible and securing the area.
Confirming the incident, a spokesperson for the airline said: “Four passengers remain in hospital. Our staff are also on site there and are closely supporting them for as long as the situation requires. A cabin crew member sustained a sprained ankle. The other crew members are unharmed.”
The airline, stylised as SWISS, also expressed regret over the inaccurate injury figures it gave in its initial report.
The Swiss carrier said it was determined to fully understand the cause behind the incident, expressing regret for the inconvenience caused to the affected passengers.
“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,” it said.
“...Our teams are doing everything they can to be there for our passengers and support them as best as possible,” it added.
Delhi airport said operations remained unaffected by the incident.