The flight, carrying 104 passengers and five crew members, had already begun taxiing on the runway when the issue was noticed.
Published Oct 19, 2025 | 2:36 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 19, 2025 | 2:36 PM
Air India Express. (Wikimedia)
Synopsis: A potential disaster was narrowly avoided at Chennai Airport when the pilot of an Air India Express flight bound for Bengaluru detected an engine malfunction moments before take-off. After over an hour of inspection and repair work, the flight finally departed Chennai.
A potential disaster was narrowly avoided at Chennai Airport on the morning of Sunday, 19 October, when the pilot of an Air India Express flight bound for Bengaluru detected an engine malfunction moments before take-off.
The flight, carrying 104 passengers and five crew members, had already begun taxiing on the runway when the issue was noticed.
Acting swiftly, the pilot halted the plane and returned it to the parking bay, preventing any danger to those on board.
Airline engineers were immediately called in to inspect the aircraft. Passengers remained seated as the technical team carried out maintenance checks and repaired the engine fault. The prompt response ensured that the aircraft was safe for travel, highlighting the importance of rigorous pre-flight checks and pilot vigilance.
After over an hour of inspection and repair work, the flight finally departed Chennai around 12 noon, approximately one and a half hours later than its scheduled departure time of 10.45 am.
Authorities confirmed that the timely detection of the engine issue helped avert a serious mishap, ensuring the safety of everyone on board.
On 7 October, the Air India flight crew of AI273 operating from Chennai to Colombo reported a suspected bird strike. After landing at Colombo, the engineers who inspected the aircraft found no damage, and the aircraft was cleared for operation.
The same aircraft operated flight AI274 from Colombo to Chennai according to schedule. However, upon routine post-flight checks at Chennai, the engineers observed an impact on an engine blade. Consequently, the aircraft was grounded for further inspections and to ascertain the cause of the damage.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) carried out a runway inspection at Chennai to check if there was any bird carcass, but didn’t find one. “Since the carcass has not been found yet, we are calling it a suspected bird hit. Further investigations will reveal more details regarding the incident,” an official said.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil with inputs from Veni EN.)
