Michelle ThompsonFollowing an engine fire on an Air China flight, passengers were required to disembark upon landing in Singapore, resulting in a three-hour closure of Changi Airport on Sunday.
Social media footage depicted passengers using emergency exit slides while the aircraft’s engine continued to emit dark smoke. Interior images displayed a smoke-filled cabin and aisle.
Fortunately, all 146 passengers and nine crew members safely evacuated upon landing around 4:15 p.m. local time, as reported by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
The left engine fire was extinguished approximately 10 minutes later, with nine passengers sustaining minor injuries related to smoke inhalation and abrasions during the evacuation.
Additionally, smoke was detected in the front cargo hold and a lavatory, according to a statement from Changi Airport.
A photograph depicting the aircraft cabin filled with smoke.
According to a statement posted on Weibo by Air China, flight CA403 was en route from Chengdu Tianfu Airport in China to Singapore Changi Airport when smoke was observed in the cabin of the A320neo aircraft prior to landing.
Initially, the airline attributed the fire to a mechanical failure in the engine, and a comprehensive investigation into the incident is presently in progress.
It’s worth noting that China experienced its most devastating air tragedy in over a decade in March, when a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 flight, with 132 people aboard, tragically crashed while traveling from Kunming to Guangzhou, resulting in no survivors.
Emily Martinez
