Dubai-bound Emirates Flight From Chennai Billows Smoke, Passenger Says 'Kicked Out, Made To Wait For 50 Minutes'

An Emirates flight from Chennai to Dubai on September 24 was delayed after it billowed smoke at night at the Chennai International Airport. The smoke was reportedly detected from the tail of the flight during its refuelling at 9:40 pm. Soon, passengers were “kicked out” of the Dubai-bound flight and were made to stand at the Chennai airport for 50 minutes. This, as per one flyer, resulted in a two-and-a-half-hour delay.

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“September 24, a fire broke out on an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER (A6-ECZ) Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) while being refuelled at Chennai International Airport and preparing to operate a flight to Dubai. The fire service arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire,” reads the caption to a video shared on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The now-viral video, filmed from the tarmac, shows plumes of white smoke coming out of the tail of the Chennai-Dubai flight while ground staff worked diligently to manage the situation.

Watch the video here:

‘Kicked out, made to wait for 50 minutes’: Emirates flyer

A flyer said, “We were kicked out of the flight once boarded and asked to stand outside for 50 mins without any reason & they have informed lately about 2.30 hours delay. This is completely unacceptable behavior from Emirates. Flight EK547 (MAA-DXB) 24 September.”

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The Emirates flight departed after clearance from a team of engineers. “Ground staff alerted pilots, who shut down engines to prevent escalation. And fire engines rushed to the site to prevent any untoward situation. The situation was brought under control. In between, all passengers were deplaned for safety inspection,” a Chennai airport official told ANI.

Emirates issues apology for delay

“Emirates flight EK547 from Chennai to Dubai on 24 September 2024 was delayed due to a technical fault. Following an engineering inspection, the aircraft was cleared to proceed to Dubai. Emirates apologises for the inconvenience caused. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance,” news agency ANI quoted an Emirates spokesperson as saying.