Abu Dhabi-bound flight with 280 passengers grounded in Chennai after hydraulic leak
The takeoff of a Chennai–Abu Dhabi Etihad flight was cancelled at the Chennai International Airport after engineers detected a hydraulic leak in the aircraft, sources said. The Airbus A320 was returned to the stand and passengers safely disembarked. Officials dismissed initial reports of a fire onboard.
An Etihad Airways flight en route to Abu Dhabi carrying around 280 passengers was unable to depart on Tuesday due to a hydraulic leakage that led to it being grounded by the engineering team at the Chennai International Airport, sources told India Today. Passengers of the Chennai-Abu Dhabi flight, which was preparing to take off, were subsequently disembarked, and the aircraft, an Airbus A320 (A6-EIT), was towed back to the stand.
Airline officials clarified that there was no diversion or fire incident involved. Few initial news reports had suggested that a fire was detected on the aircraft’s left wing as it was preparing for take-off. They had also added that fire services brought the situation under control immediately, following which the flight was cancelled.
In an official statement, Etihad said that the take-off of flight EY343 was aborted due to a "technical issue," without providing any specific details about the same. "The flight is currently expected to depart approximately three hours behind schedule. Emergency services were activated as a precautionary measure, based on the Chennai International Airport (MAA) safety protocols," the airline stated.
Etihad said it was assisting the affected passengers with their onwards journey. It urged them to ensure their updated contact details were available with the carrier so they could be informed of all the latest updates regarding the flight.