4 passengers, crew member injured as Zurich-bound Swiss flight aborts takeoff due to issue with engine

Smoke could be seen, said sources, coming out from one of the front landing wheels of the aircraft.

The crew aborted the takeoff, said the airline, and decided — as a precaution — to evacuate the aircraft, after assessing the situation. “All passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft via the emergency slides. For a small number of individuals who were unable to use the slides, stairs were provided,” an airline spokesperson said, adding that the crew member suffered a sprained ankle and the rest of the crew was unharmed. “Four passengers remain in the hospital,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added, “All passengers were assisted and accompanied by our teams on site. We have accommodated them in hotels and rebooked them onto alternative flights. We were able to find an individual solution for all guests to continue their journey and remain in contact with them.”

Swiss International Air Lines is known as SWISS.

The airline is working closely with local authorities “to fully understand what led to this incident,” as per the spokesperson. “SWISS technical specialists will travel to Delhi to inspect the aircraft and initiate the next steps,” the spokesperson said.

“All prescribed safety protocols were promptly executed, and passengers were safely evacuated. Airport operations remained unaffected,” the airport operator — Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said in a passenger advisory issued at 9.30 am.