India
oi-Prakash KL
A full emergency was declared at Chennai Airport on Wednesday night after a Kolkata-bound Indigo flight developed a technical snag in its left engine accompanied by an oil leak during the approach.
Flight 6E-723, which had departed from Kolkata with 224 people on board, was just minutes away from its scheduled 11:30 pm arrival when pilots alerted air traffic control about the technical glitch. The airport activated its emergency response protocol at 11:29 pm.
Chennai Airport declared a full emergency Wednesday night for Indigo flight 6E-723 from Kolkata due to an engine technical snag and oil leak during approach; the aircraft landed safely and the DGCA is investigating the incident.
Emergency services, including fire tenders and rescue teams, were positioned along the runway as the aircraft made its final approach. The plane touched down safely on Runway 25 at 11:37 pm, just seven minutes behind schedule.
For ten nail-biting minutes after landing, emergency crews remained on standby as a safety measure while the aircraft taxied to its bay. The emergency was formally withdrawn at 11:47 pm, and airport operations returned to normal.
Once passengers disembarked, engineers boarded the plane for a thorough inspection. The aircraft was deemed unfit for further service until comprehensive repairs could be completed, the authorities found. The plane was towed to a remote parking bay around midnight, where it remains for detailed examination.
The incident comes on the heels of another close call involving an IndiGo flight last month. A Dubai-Mumbai service was forced to make an unscheduled stop at Rajkot Airport after pilots received a smoke alert in the cargo hold. That aircraft also landed safely, with emergency teams positioned along the runway as a precaution.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered a detailed investigation into the incident.
