An Indigo flight to Thiruvananthapuram was forced to return from the taxiway after a fuel leak was detected in the plane at the Delhi airport on Tuesday evening.
It was a close shave for passengers as even a small spark could have led to a major fire. The pilot of 6E-945 decided to return to the parking bay and deboarded the passengers.
“There were 173 passengers on board when the fuel leak was detected at 4:35 pm on Tuesday. The fire service was called as a precautionary measure. Passengers were shifted to another plane and it departed at 6:15 pm,” said an airport source.
“On the December 26, 2017, the 6E-945 (Delhi-Trivandrum) flight crew were alerted by onboard computers about “fuel right wing tank overflow”. The flight crew carried out their required procedure as per Airbus checklist. The overflow was confirmed by the ground staff. As a precaution, engines were shut down and the aircraft was towed back to bay. 6E-945 operated with an alternative aircraft,” said a IndiGo spokesperson.
“This is the normal design and must not to be confused with a “fuel leak”. Such overflows can occasionally be noticed during aircraft turns on ground with the fuel tanks full. The matter was notified to the DGCA office and is being investigated by the IndiGo Safety department,” the spokesperson added.
HT
