Smoke from flight delays Dubai-bound aircraft at Chennai

The flight, which was to depart at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, was delayed and left at around 12.15 a.m.

The Chennai International Airport’s tarmac witnessed tense moments on Tuesday (September 25, 2024) night as an Emirates flight to Dubai began to emanate smoke, and fire tenders were rushed in to extinguish it. The flight, which was to depart at 10 p.m., was delayed, and left at around 12.15 a.m.

At 9.10 p.m., when the refueling process was underway, heavy smoke came out from near the tail end of the aircraft. The fire tenders came to the spot and put it out in about 10 minutes, sources said. Passenger boarding, which was going on at this time, was immediately stopped, and they were rushed back into the terminal, sources added.

“Excess fuel was loaded into the aircraft and smoke started coming from the tail end. The excess fuel was offloaded, and the ground engineering team and the airline personnel inspected the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit subsequently. Later, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security officials too checked the aircraft for passenger safety and then gave a clearance for departure,” an official said. 

The flight left the city airport at around 12.15 a.m. 

Later in the day, Emirates Airlines apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers. An Emirates spokesperson said, “Emirates flight EK547 from Chennai to Dubai on 24 September 2024 was delayed due to a technical fault. Following an engineering inspection, the aircraft was cleared to proceed to Dubai. Emirates apologizes for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance.”

(With inputs from ANI)

Published - September 25, 2024 11:38 am IST