Emirates Airlines apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers after smoke started coming from the engine compartment of a Dubai-bound flight at Chennai Airport on Tuesday.
Emirates Issues Apologies
Responding to the situation, 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 apologises for the inconvenience caused.
The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance." According to Chennai Airport officials, smoke was detected from the tail of Flight EK547 during refuelling at 9:40 PM on Tuesday has caused panic.
Further reports suggest that the heavy smoke was from the exhaust of the auxiliary power unit (APU) of the Emirates Boeing 777-300 aircraft (A6-ECZ) that was operating Flight EK547 to Dubai (DXB) from Chennai International Airport (MAA), India on 24 September. #aircraft… https://t.co/sFYNLjVQ5T pic.twitter.com/1Gq33F37as
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) September 25, 2024
Sept. 24, a fire broke out on an #Emirates Boeing 777-300ER (A6-ECZ) Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) while being refueled at #Chennai Int'l Airport and preparing to operate a flight to #Dubai.The fire service arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire.
— FlightMode (@FlightModeblog) September 25, 2024
via @aviationbrk#india pic.twitter.com/kgjsUfT8FB
Safety Paramount
"Ground staff alerted pilots, who shut down engines to prevent escalation. And fire engines rushed to the site to prevent any untoward situation.
The situation was brought under control. In between, all passengers were deplaned for safety inspection," said an airport official.
A team of engineers inspected the Airport for safety clearance and it was cleared for take-off later.