Engine Fire Forces Dramatic Runway Evacuation, Five Passengers Injured
A Swiss International Air Lines flight bound for Zurich was forced to abort takeoff and evacuate all passengers after one of its engines caught fire on the runway at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi shortly after 1:00 a.m. local time on Sunday. Five people were injured in the incident — four of them passengers — with injuries sustained during the emergency evacuation via the aircraft’s inflatable slides.
What Happened on the Runway
Flight LX147, operated by an Airbus A330 wide-body jet, was carrying 232 passengers, including four infants, along with 13 crew members when the engine failure occurred. Data from aviation tracking platforms indicate the aircraft had reached speeds of approximately 120 mph before the crew made the decision to abort the takeoff. Once the plane came to a stop, pilots instructed passengers to evacuate, and all occupants exited via emergency slides, with some requiring assistance via stairs.
Four passengers were taken by ambulance to a hospital in nearby Gurgaon. A fifth person, a crew member, suffered a sprained ankle. The airport declared a full emergency and the runway was closed for approximately three hours.
Airline and Authorities Respond
Swiss International Air Lines confirmed the incident and said it had launched a task force to assist affected passengers with alternative travel arrangements, including rebooking. India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, along with the country’s civil aviation regulators, launched a formal inquiry to determine the cause of the engine fire.
Safety incidents have driven significant changes in aviation operations in recent years, with airlines and airports investing heavily in emergency preparedness and rapid response protocols.
Emergency Evacuations and the Risks They Carry
Emergency evacuations using inflatable slides are relatively rare but carry their own injury risks. Passengers are instructed to leave behind all carry-on luggage and jump onto the slide feet-first, but in practice the urgency and chaos of an actual emergency can lead to injuries from falls, slide friction, or collisions. Aviation safety experts note that evacuation injuries are an accepted trade-off given that the alternative — remaining on a burning aircraft — poses far greater danger.
The speed of the response in New Delhi was praised by officials. Incidents requiring this level of coordinated emergency response test the readiness of airport infrastructure and underscore why routine drills are a requirement at major international hubs.
Historical Context
Engine fires during the takeoff roll are among the more dramatic events in aviation safety, in part because they occur at the moment of maximum speed and minimum options. The crew’s decision to reject the takeoff at approximately 120 mph reflects a critical judgment call: beyond a certain speed threshold, it is safer to continue and become airborne than to brake. That the LX147 crew managed a successful rejection at high speed, followed by an orderly evacuation with relatively minor injuries, will likely be studied as a case study in effective emergency decision-making.
Incidents like this one are reminders that even careful preparation and engineering cannot eliminate all risk entirely. The investigation by India’s accident inquiry bureau is expected to examine maintenance records, crew communications, and flight data recorder information. All passengers and crew have been confirmed safe, and airline disruptions of this kind typically result in sweeping safety reviews across affected fleets.
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