SWISS A330 aborts Delhi takeoff with engine fire, injuring six passengers during evacuation

SWISS International Air Lines flight LX147 aborted takeoff at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on April 26, 2026, after an engine failure with smoke and possible fire during the takeoff roll at 106 knots. All 228 passengers, 4 infants, and 13 crew evacuated via emergency slides. Six people were hospitalized with injuries sustained during the evacuation and are reported stable. The Airbus A330-300 (registration HB-JHK) remains grounded as India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and SWISS technical teams investigate.

The incident occurred on Runway 28, causing temporary closure and cascading delays at Delhi. SWISS has deployed a task force to arrange rebookings and hotels for affected passengers.

Engine failure forces high-speed abort on Delhi runway

The left engine of the Zurich-bound A330-300 failed during the takeoff roll in the early hours of April 26, producing visible smoke and possible fire. Pilots rejected the takeoff at 104–106 knots — below the critical decision speed known as V1 — following standard operating procedures for engine failures detected before the point of no return.

All 245 people aboard evacuated via emergency slides onto the active runway. The evacuation was swift, but six passengers sustained injuries during the slide deployment — a known risk when evacuating from aircraft height to pavement. All injured passengers were transported to Medanta hospital and are in stable condition.

The aircraft, a 15-year-old A330-300 powered by GE CF6-80E1 engines, has been removed from service pending inspection. SWISS dispatched a technical team to Delhi to support the DGCA investigation, which will determine whether the failure was an uncontained engine event, a fuel system issue, or another mechanical cause.

How rejected takeoffs and slide evacuations work

A rejected takeoff — aviation shorthand RTO — happens when pilots detect a critical failure before reaching V1, the speed beyond which stopping on the remaining runway becomes impossible. Below V1, the aircraft can brake to a full stop. Above V1, pilots must continue the takeoff even with an engine failure and deal with the problem airborne.

At 106 knots on a long-haul A330, the aircraft was traveling roughly 120 miles per hour when the left engine failed. Pilots applied maximum braking, bringing the aircraft to a stop on the runway. Emergency slides deployed automatically when cabin crew opened the doors — each slide inflates in six seconds and is designed to evacuate a full aircraft in 90 seconds.

Slide evacuations carry injury risk. Passengers exit from a height of 12–15 feet depending on aircraft type, landing on a 45-degree fabric chute. Ankle sprains, back injuries, and friction burns are common, particularly when passengers hesitate or land awkwardly. The six injuries in this incident align with evacuation norms — serious enough to require hospital evaluation, but not life-threatening.

What to do if you have Delhi travel booked

The incident creates immediate disruption for travelers with SWISS bookings from Delhi and potential ripple effects for those connecting through Zurich.

• Check flight status immediately. Visit swiss.com/flight-status and enter your flight number or HB-JHK registration to see rebooking and hotel updates if you were on LX147 or have upcoming SWISS Delhi departures.
• Monitor DGCA notices. Check dgca.gov.in/notams for Runway 28 status and any operational restrictions at Delhi before SWISS departures over the next 24 hours.
• Consider alternative carriers. Air India operates 10 weekly Delhi–Zurich flights on Boeing 787-8 aircraft with lower fares and similar schedules if SWISS capacity remains constrained.
• Document everything. Save all rebooking confirmations, hotel receipts, and meal expenses. While EU261 compensation does not apply to non-EU departures, SWISS’s own passenger protection guidelines require care assistance for delays exceeding four hours.

Watch: The DGCA preliminary report, typically due within 24–30 hours of an incident, will reveal whether this was an uncontained engine failure — a finding that would trigger fleet-wide A330 inspections and potential Delhi–Zurich frequency cuts through May.