Air India Flight AI-2802 declares full emergency at Delhi Airport over suspected mid-air engine fire

Air India flight AI-2802 from Bengaluru to New Delhi declared a full emergency at IGI Airport on Thursday night following a suspected mid-air engine fire. The aircraft landed safely on runway 29R.

An Air India flight from Bengaluru to New Delhi has declared a full emergency at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Thursday evening after getting a warning about a mid-air engine fire. Flight AI 2802, which is an Airbus A320 aircraft and has 171 passengers on board, has made an emergency landing on runway 29R just before 9:30 PM. Airport's emergency team and fire tenders surrounded the aircraft immediately on its arrival at the airport's premises.

Flight operations suspended as aircraft moved away from active runway

Post initial ground clearance by the emergency team, the aircraft was towed away from the operational landing strip. The forced emergency landing resulted in temporary suspension of air traffic on runway 29R.

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Flight AI 2802: Details and incident information

•   Route                ----> Bengaluru (BLR) to New Delhi (DEL)
•   Type of Plane        ----> Airbus A320 (171 passengers on board)
•   Time of Accident     ----> May 21, 2026 at approximately 9:30 PM
•   Nature of Incident   ----> Full Emergency Declaration due to Engine Fire Warning
•   When Runway Resumed  ----> 10:18 PM (After towage operation of the aircraft)

It was reported that the runway eventually resumed regular flight activity at 10:18 PM after removing all emergency equipment from the tarmac.

Air India confirms fire alert

In the official Air India statement explaining the in-flight emergency situation, it emerged that the cockpit crew had gotten a fire alert regarding one of the aircraft's engines when nearing the landing site in the nation's capital city. Air India officially confirmed that the fire warning was indeed valid.

"The crew made a safe landing in accordance with all necessary standard operating procedures. All passengers and crew were able to safely disembark the flight," Air India said.

The carrier added that it is already investigating the cause of the emergency situation in cooperation with aviation authorities. "Air India will be conducting a thorough inquiry into the cause of this incident in close coordination with the relevant authorities. We will continue to keep you updated as more information becomes available. The safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority."

Double trouble for Air India

This incident serves as a capper to a particularly rocky 24-hour period for the airline, after another Air India plane with 181 passengers aboard experienced a severe tail strike upon landing at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru earlier that Thursday morning.

Air India incidents on Thursday

  Morning Incident   --> Flight AI 2651 (DEL to BLR) | Airbus A321
                         Experienced tail strike during landing; subsequently grounded.
                         
  Night Incident     --> Flight AI 2802 (BLR to DEL) | Airbus A320
                         Full emergency declared; landed with engine fire alarm active.

The morning flight in question, AI 2651, was a narrow body Airbus A321 flying from Delhi to Bengaluru. In a statement issued by an Air India spokesperson, the aircraft in question had reportedly "experienced a tail strike during the landing process," yet landed safely with no passenger injuries.

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