Dubai: Six passengers were injured after a Swiss International Air Lines flight to Zurich aborted takeoff at Delhi airport early Sunday following an engine fire scare, triggering an emergency evacuation on the runway.

Flight LX147, an Airbus A330, was accelerating for takeoff at around 1:08 am when one of its engines failed and caught fire, officials said. The crew immediately rejected the takeoff and initiated emergency procedures, Indian media reports said.

All passengers were evacuated using emergency slides, while stairs were arranged for a few who were unable to use them. Six passengers sustained injuries during the evacuation and were taken to hospital. The crew remained unharmed.

The airline said there were 228 passengers and four infants on board. “Shortly after takeoff, an issue occurred with one of the engines. The crew rejected the takeoff and, as a precaution, decided to evacuate the aircraft,” SWISS said in a statement, adding that a task force has been set up.

Authorities at Indira Gandhi International Airport declared an emergency following the incident. Runway operations were briefly affected but later resumed, with other flights operating as scheduled.

Visuals of the evacuation surfaced on social media, showing passengers exiting the aircraft on slides amid the pre-dawn emergency.

SWISS said its technical team will travel to Delhi to inspect the aircraft and determine the cause of the engine failure. The airline is also arranging alternative travel and accommodation for affected passengers.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is always our top priority,” the airline said, adding that it is working closely with local authorities.

Credits: SWISS flight LX147

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According to a report by The Aviation Herald, the aircraft was approximately 30 nautical miles northeast of Brest, France, when the crew declared an emergency by squawking 7700 and returned to Birmingham.

A Closer Look Into The Incident

On December 28, 2025, the Ryanair Boeing 737 MAX 8200, registered EI-HGO, was operating flight FR 1121 from Birmingham Airport (BHX) in the United Kingdom to Tenerife South Airport (TFS) in Spain when the aircraft suddenly encountered moderate to severe turbulence.

As a result of the turbulence and the passenger injuries that followed, the flight crew decided to return to BHX, landing safely approximately 50 minutes after departure, according to Flightradar24.com data. Speaking to Birmingham Live, a passenger on the flight said that passengers were “flung out of their seats” during the incident. The woman said:

“I was on this flight. It felt like something you see on a horror movie. We were smooth cruising then, out of nowhere all of a sudden, the plane jerked to the left extremely quickly and then to the right.”

Rising Frequency Of Turbulence Events In Commercial Aviation

Increasingly volatile weather patterns, driven in large part by climate change, have contributed to a global rise in turbulence-related incidents. Airlines and aircraft manufacturers are responding with new design features, updated procedures, and enhanced training aimed at maintaining safe and efficient operations. In this changing environment, reducing the impact of turbulence is no longer just a matter of comfort. It is critical to safety, operational reliability, and passenger confidence.

Clear-air turbulence is not associated with other adverse weather conditions, hence the name. It is difficult to detect and often strikes unexpectedly. This trend poses a growing hazard, particularly as long-haul and high-altitude flights traverse polar and mid-latitude corridors. Mountainous terrain also contributes significantly to turbulence patterns.

Following the deadly clear-air turbulence incident in May 2024, Singapore became the first country to classify severe air disturbances as a major in-flight threat, placing them on par with midair collisions and unauthorized runway incursions. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) stated that abrupt, invisible wind shifts capable of violently shaking an aircraft without warning must now be treated as a “state-level operational safety risk.”

How To Recognize Turbulence

Pilots use a combination of pre-flight planning tools and real-time observations to anticipate and avoid turbulence. Route briefings, turbulence forecast charts, and pilot reports help crews identify potentially unstable airspace before departure or during flight. Air traffic control advisories and ride reports from aircraft ahead on the same route provide additional situational awareness. Although these methods cannot predict every disturbance, they enable crews to steer around the most hazardous conditions.

Despite its unpredictability, turbulence often presents identifiable clues. According to The Bold Method, a publication focused on general aviation, several indicators can signal rough air ahead. Some cues are visual, such as clouds with sharp, uneven, or rolling edges. Other warning signs include rapid shifts in wind speed or direction and the passage of weather fronts, both of which can generate significant atmospheric instability.

Additionally, turbulence can be associated with temperature inversions, which often create instability at the boundary between the inversion layer and the surrounding air. Turbulence is also common in areas where strong surface winds interact with nearby terrain or obstacles, producing irregular airflow. While Bold Method listed these tools as measures to help general aviation pilots avoid rough rides, these conditions are also analyzed by airline pilots and flight dispatchers to help steer clear of hazardous weather. As weather detection technology improves, a flight crew’s ability to avoid turbulence also improves.

Credits: Ryanair

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The post Several Passengers Injured After Severe Turbulence Hits Ryanair Flight first appeared on AircrewNews.com.