Passengers aboard the Kochi-bound Air India Express flight, which made an emergency landing at Bengaluru airport on Saturday night, described the tense situation when a fire was observed in one of its engines.
Passengers’ experiences
Most of the passengers arrived at Cochin International Airport around noon on Sunday via another flight arranged by the airline departing from Bengaluru.
Upon landing at the airport, passengers shared their experiences, describing their panic after noticing the fire a few minutes after takeoff from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru.
A senior citizen woman told reporters at the airport that everyone got scared and cried loudly.
She commended the crew for their responsible actions in evacuating them from the flight shortly after the emergency landing at Kempegowda Airport.
They were highly responsible, assisting us in exiting and doing everything possible within a minute to rescue us. We are grateful to them, she expressed.
Another elderly woman recounted the chaos onboard as passengers screamed upon seeing the fire. After landing, everyone rushed to leave the aircraft.
Describing her experience, a female passenger stated that the crew instructed them to stay calm and then guided them to exit swiftly.
Fire detection and emergency landing
A male passenger reported that the fire was detected five minutes after takeoff. Following this, an emergency landing was conducted, and all passengers exited through the evacuation door.
Another individual mentioned that there were four or five sparks before the fire erupted in the engine.
Despite the evacuation, passengers voiced their dissatisfaction with the challenges they encountered at the airport, citing an alleged delay in arranging another aircraft for their journey to Kochi.
We had to fight to reclaim our hand baggage, which held essential items. Fortunately, we all managed to retrieve our hand bags, but I’m still awaiting my checked baggage. The airline assured us that they would deliver it to my home address, a woman passenger said.
Air India Express stated that all passengers and crew were evacuated safely, with no injuries reported.
Sources indicate that the fire was detected shortly after takeoff. The crew promptly alerted the Air Traffic Controller, leading to the declaration of a full-scale emergency.
Official statement
On May 18, 2024, Flight IX 1132 from Bengaluru to Kochi was forced to make an emergency landing at BLR Airport at 23:12 hours due to a reported fire in one of its engines, according to a statement from a spokesperson of BIAL, the managing authority of KIA.