Etihad Airways Chennai-Abu Dhabi Flight Grounded As 'Fire' Breaks Out On wing

An Abu Dhabi-bound Etihad Airways flight carrying around 280 passengers was grounded on Monday after a “fire” broke out on its left wing.

The Etihad flight was preparing for take-off when the pilots noticed the fire. Subsequently, all the passengers were safely disembarked and there were no injuries to anyone, officials added.

The blaze was immediately put out by Fire Service personnel and the flight was cancelled. 

Emergency response teams and Fire Service personnel reached the spot and quickly brought the situation under control. Officials said the fire was extinguished immediately, preventing any further damage or risk to passengers and crew members.

The exact cause of the fire on the wing has not yet been disclosed. Authorities are expected to carry out an investigation into the incident to determine what triggered the fire during take-off preparations. 

The Airbus A320 operating as EY343 from Chennai to Abu Dhabi had initially pushed back from stand 25 at around 10.10 am for its scheduled 10.15 am departure. However, the aircraft returned to the same stand minutes later after the crew identified a hydraulic leakage issue during pre-departure procedures.

Reports said the aircraft was safely brought back to the bay and standard technical inspections were initiated. The incident caused a temporary delay to the Abu Dhabi-bound service. The flight departed at 2.48pm.