DUBAI, UAE- The flag carrier of UAE, Emirates (EK) Airlines Boeing 777, caught fire at St Petersburg Airport (LED) in Russia.
According to sources, when this fire incident occurred, Emirates was preparing for the return flight to Dubai (DXB). Further, the fire team did a great job and ensured it did not spread to other parts.
Emirates St Petersburg Fire Incident
The Twitter user shared the video of the incident, and if we closely look into it, we can identify that the Auxiliary Power Unit or APU might have caught fire. For those who don’t know what APU is, here’s a brief description of it.
The Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) enables an aircraft to function independently without the need for external equipment like a ground power unit, an external air-conditioning unit, or a high-pressure air start cart, thereby ensuring autonomous operation.
In short, it is a small backup jet engine used to support aircraft for some time in case of Main engine problems.
In the above video, you can clearly see that Firefighters are pouring water at the tail or empennage of the aircraft. This is the location of APU, and they are doing it on a large scale to restrict it to that location only.
Further, the APU compartment has a firewall, which can prevent damage to another part of the aircraft and stop spreading it downstream. But the APU section also has fire extinguishers, so they have probably used them, but it might not be enough.
Anyways, at the end, the fire is extinguished on the aircraft, passengers are safe. Further, no injuries are reported.
Flight Details
According to Flight Radar 24, Emirates EK176 is a daily scheduled flight from Pulkovo Airport (LED) in St Petersburg, Russia, to Dubai Int’l Airport (DXB) in UAE.
Further, it takes around five hours and 30 minutes to cover the 4,300 km distance between the two cities.
On July 1, 2023 (Today), the flight experienced a fire at LED. However, the airline managed to continue the flight with around six hours of delay. The Emirates team managed to make the aircraft airworthy again, as the fire did not cause much harm to the aircraft.
Further, at 2:04 AM UTC, the EK176 took off from LED. At the time of writing, the flight has entered the Iranian airspace. Subsequently, it is expected to land in Dubai (DXB) at around 11:50 AM local time, in close to one hour and 30 minutes.
The aircraft involved in the incident is Emirates Boeing 777-300ER. Further, it has the registration A6-EBR. The aircraft is approx 17 years old, and EK took it back in 2006.
More details are awaited regarding the incident, what caused it, and how EK managed to solve the issue. We will keep you posted with the latest information. So stay Tuned.
But we appreciate the Emirates staff for their proactive response. Despite the fire incident, they somehow managed to return to Dubai, which has all the facilities to conduct a detailed investigation.
1st Update: The EK176 has entered the UAE Airspace and will land shortly at DXB.
Official Statement
“The flight was brought back to the stand as smoke was reported during the pushback for departure,” stated the airline.
In response, the airline took precautionary measures and ensured the disembarkation of all passengers and crew members while local authorities and fire services thoroughly inspected the aircraft.
Once the investigations were concluded, the airline confirmed that the flight resumed its journey.
“After completing the necessary inspections, passengers were allowed to re-board, and the aircraft departed with a delay,” mentioned the statement. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused. Our top priority is the safety of our passengers and cabin crew, and we will not compromise on it.”
Similar Incident
The Tata-backed Air India (AI) flight from Delhi (DEL) to San Francisco (SFO) over Russian airspace diverted to the Magadan Airport in Russia over a suspected Engine problem. Air India operates daily non-stop flights on the DEL-SFO route using its Boeing 777.
According to Flight Radar 24, the aircraft took off from Delhi Int’l Airport at 10:35 PM UTC on Jun 6, 2023. The AI 173 flight en route to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) over Russian Airspace.
However, the aircraft reported a technical snag in one of its engines. Subsequently, the pilot decided to divert the flight to one of the nearest airports.
According to an Air India spokesperson, 216 passengers and 16 crew members were on board Flight AI173.
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