New Delhi, May 26 (IANS) A major scare was reported at Kempegowda International Airport on Tuesday after smoke was noticed in an IndiGo flight bound for Chennai while the aircraft was taxiing for departure.

According to the airline, IndiGo flight 6E 6017 from Bengaluru to Chennai was taxing out towards the runway when smoke was observed in the aircraft.

In view of passenger safety, the pilot immediately halted the aircraft and an emergency evacuation was carried out.

Airport fire brigade teams and technical officials rushed to inspect the aircraft following the incident, which briefly triggered panic among passengers at the airport.

In a statement, an IndiGo spokesperson said all passengers and crew members were safely evacuated and moved back to the terminal.

“On May 26, while IndiGo flight 6E 6017 from Bengaluru to Chennai was taxing out to runway for departure, smoke was noticed in the aircraft. In the interest of safety, an immediate evacuation was carried out and all the relevant authorities were informed,” the airline said.

The airline added that all passengers were safe and were being assisted by airport and airline staff. IndiGo also arranged an alternate aircraft to operate the flight.

“All customers and crew are safe and have been moved to the terminal, where they are being attended to by our teams to ensure their well-being. An alternate aircraft has been arranged to operate the flight which will depart shortly and refreshments are being served to the customers to ease their wait time,” the spokesperson said.

The airline reiterated that passenger and crew safety remains its top priority. The exact cause of the smoke was not immediately known and technical teams were examining the aircraft.

“At IndiGo, the safety of our customers and crew remains our top priority,” the spokesperson added.

–IANS

pk