Air China flight evacuates passengers after engine catches fire

An Air China Ltd. flight was evacuated on landing in Singapore after one of the engines on the Airbus SE A320neo aircraft caught fire.

All 146 passengers and nine crew members were safely evacuated after landing at about 4:15 p.m. local time, and the fire in the left engine was extinguished 10 minutes later, according to a statement by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore. Nine passengers sustained minor injuries related to smoke inhalation and abrasions during evacuation, it said.

Videos widely circulated on social media showed flames visible in the rear of the left engine as passengers exited the plane on to the runway via escape chutes. Thick smoke filled the cabin, the videos show.

Air China flight 403 reported smoke in the forward cargo hold and lavatory, declared emergency and requested priority landing, the aviation authority said. The aircraft, which traveled from Chengdu in western China, was powered by RTX Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney engines. The plane is four years old, according to FlightRadar24 data.

Singapore’s Transport Safety Investigation Bureau is investigating the incident and has contacted its Chinese counterpart, which will assist with the investigation, the aviation authority said. Changi Airport’s Runway 3 was closed for three hours, it said.