As the Air India Express flew from Bengaluru to Kochi on Saturday night, shocked passengers watched as a portion of the engine caught fire. An Airbus A320 departed Bangalore Airport and was en route to Kerala’s Cochin International Airport when the incident occurred.
On amateur video you can hear people screaming as they spot a fire erupting under the wing of their plane. The video shows a brilliant light shining underneath one of the wings of the aircraft. The fire strengthens which makes the passengers even more anxious as they wait inside the cabin. You can hear the panicked escalation in their voices.
Despite the plane’s forced landing and the traffic control officials declaring a “full emergency,” thankfully, no one was hurt in the event. Twenty minutes after it started, the fire was finally extinguished, leaving passengers clearly shaken by the terrifying incident.
The aircraft, which had been due to leave at 9.45 p.m., took off at about 10.50 p.m. on Saturday with roughly 179 passengers and six crew members. After fire engines from the airport arrived at the site, the fire was finally put out at 11:12 p.m.
The cabin staff took enormous responsibility and were highly professional, urging the passengers to remain calm and seated.
According to an older lady, the crew displayed remarkable patience in order to relieve the stress of the passengers on board the aircraft. If the public sees the crew panic, pandemonium may very well erupt, endangering everyone on board.
The woman said the flight crew, due to their professionalism, was able to evacuate everyone in about one minute.
A representative from Air India Express said that the Bengaluru–Kochi aircraft decided to turn around and land safely in Bengaluru after takeoff because flames were believed to be coming from the right engine.
