New Delhi, 26 April

A Zurich-bound Swiss International Air Lines' plane carrying 245 people aborted takeoff at the Delhi airport early morning on Sunday due to an engine issue, following which a full emergency was declared and passengers were evacuated on the runway, according to sources.

Some passengers suffered minor injuries, one of the sources said, while the airline said six passengers were receiving medical attention. Details about how the passengers suffered minor injuries could not be immediately ascertained.

There were 232 passengers, including four infants, and 13 crew members onboard the A330-300 aircraft with registration HB-JHK that was to operate the flight LX147 when the incident took place around 1am.

The sources said smoke was observed from the port side of the main wheel, and initially, the input was that there was smoke from one of the landing gears.

Delhi airport operator DIAL said the operations at the airport remained unaffected due to the incident involving the aircraft.

"Shortly after takeoff, just after 1:00am local time in India, an issue occurred with one of the engines. The crew rejected the takeoff and, following an assessment of the situation, decided as a precaution to evacuate the aircraft," the spokesperson said.

Six passengers were receiving medical attention, and the crew was unharmed, he added.

The sources said some passengers suffered minor injuries during the evacuation.

"All passengers and crew evacuated the aircraft via the emergency slides. Six passengers are undergoing medical evaluation. For a small number of individuals who were unable to use the slides, stairs were provided," the spokesperson said.

Swiss International Air Lines is known as Swiss.

The sources said initially, a call regarding a full emergency and the aircraft suffering a tyre burst was received from the Air Traffic Controller (ATC). After the checking was done by the airside team, it was confirmed that during the rejected takeoff, smoke was observed originating from the port side of the main wheel, they added.

Delhi airport operator DIAL said in the early hours of Sunday, a full emergency was declared for flight LX147 on Runway 28/10.

"All prescribed safety protocols were promptly executed, and passengers were safely evacuated. Airport operations remained unaffected," DIAL said in a post on X.

According to the airline spokesperson, Swiss technical specialists will travel to Delhi to inspect the aircraft and initiate the next steps.

"Such a situation is stressful for everyone involved. Our local teams are taking care of our passengers on site and are in direct contact with them. We are working closely with local authorities," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the airline was working intensively to find swift and suitable onward travel solutions for all passengers.