Chennai, 19 October (H.S.) : A potentially major mishap was successfully averted at Chennai airport on Sunday morning when the pilot of an Air India Express flight destined for Bengaluru detected a critical engine issue moments before take-off.

The swift and appropriate action taken by the pilot ensured the safety of all 109 people on board, including 104 passengers and five crew members.

The flight was scheduled to depart at 10:45 am and had already begun taxiing on the runway when the pilot noticed a technical malfunction in one of the aircraft's engines. The pilot immediately brought the plane to a halt and returned it safely to the parking bay.

Following the detection of the snag, a team of airline engineers was quickly dispatched to inspect and rectify the issue. The passengers remained seated inside the aircraft while the maintenance work was carried out. After over an hour of maintenance, the engineers successfully fixed the fault.

The flight was finally cleared for departure and took off around 12 noon, resulting in a delay of approximately one and a half hours from its original schedule.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Dr. R. B. Chaudhary