Air India plane lands safely in Delhi after engine fire just before touchdown

NEW DELHI: Pilots operating Air India’s Bengaluru-Delhi flight on Thursday night declared a full emergency after getting engine fire warning in the flight deck. The aircraft landed safely at IGI Airport’s runway 29R at 9.30 pm, where operations were suspended for a while.

“Pilots got engine fire warning just before landing. The same was extinguished after landing,” say sources. The aircraft, Airbus A321 (VT-CIO), was towed from the runway and passengers were disembarked. All the about 180 people on board are learnt to be safe. A DGCA team has begun its probe.

In a statement, AI said: “AI confirms an incident involving Flight AI 2802 operating from Bengaluru to Delhi on May 21, 2026. During the aircraft’s final approach into Delhi, the cockpit crew received a fire indication from one of the engines. The indication was subsequently confirmed as true. The crew followed all standard operating procedures and landed the aircraft safely at Delhi airport. All passengers and crew are safe and have disembarked normally.”

“Air India is immediately initiating a full investigation into the cause of the incident in coordination with the relevant regulatory authorities. We are committed to sharing further verified information as soon as it becomes available. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority,” AI spokesperson added.