179 Dead, 2 Rescued After Plane Crashes On South Korea Runway

SEOUL, Dec 29: A plane with 181 people on board crashed at South Korea's Muan airport after it veered off the runway while landing, with 179 people confirmed dead.

As per Yonhap news agency, the crash was reported in the South Jeolla province when the Jeju Air flight 2216 was returning from Thailand.

Two people - both believed to be flight crew - were rescued by authorities, which continued evacuating passengers from the Boeing 737-800's rear section.

Among the 181 on board, 175 were passengers and six were flight crew. Emergency services at the airport began operations around 9 am after the aircraft crashed into a fence after a failed belly landing attempt and erupted in flames. Visuals showed black smoke rising above the crash site.

The crash is believed to have been caused by "contact with birds, resulting in malfunctioning landing gear", coupled with adverse weather conditions. "The plane is almost completely destroyed, and identifying the dead is proving difficult. The process is taking time as we locate and recover the remains," the fire department in Muan said in a statement.

Two minutes before the crash, the pilot issued a Mayday call, Ministry of Land. It added, "It took approximately three minutes from the control tower's mention of a bird strike warning to the aircraft's attempt to land on the runway again."

When asked if the accident happened due to the runway being too short -- video shows the plane coming off the tarmac and hitting a wall -- the official said this was likely not a factor. "The runway is 2,800 meters long, and similar-sized aircraft have been operating on it without issues," they said.

Acting President Choi Sang-mok called for the mobilisation of all resources to save the passengers. "All related agencies must mobilise all available resources to save the personnel," he instructed officials in a statement.

Meanwhile, Jeju Air said it 'sincerely apologises' for the plane crash. "We at Jeju Air will do everything in our power in response to this accident. We sincerely apologise for causing concern," the airline said in a statement posted on its social media channels.

It is the first fatal accident in the history of Jeju Air, one of South Korea's largest low-cost carriers, which was set up in 2005. The aircraft involved in the crash was acquired in 2017 from Europe's low-cost carrier RyanAir.

On August 12, 2007, a Bombardier Q400 operated by Jeju Air carrying 74 passengers came off the runway due to strong winds at the southern Busan-Gimhae airport, resulting in a dozen injuries.

Azerbaijan President Says Plane That Crashed Was Shot At From Russia

BAKU, Dec 29: The Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed in Kazakhstan this week killing 38 people, was damaged due to a shooting from the ground in Russia, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday.

He also accused Moscow of having tried to hide the cause of a deadly jet crash and called for Russia to admit "guilt" in the disaster.

President Aliyev said he regretted that "some circles" in Russia had tried to hush up the truth about the crash, in which 38 of the 67 people on board were killed, by sowing false narratives about the causes of the crash, the Azerbaijan state television reported.

Baku regretted that Moscow "put forward theories" that "clearly showed the Russian side wanted to cover" up the issue, he said.

"The facts are that the Azerbaijani civilian plane was damaged from the outside over Russian territory, near the city of Grozny, and almost lost control," Aliyev said in televised comments, according to state news agency, Azertag.

"We also know that electronic warfare systems put our plane out of control," he said, adding that "at the same time, as a result of fire from the ground, the tail of the plane was also severely damaged."

He added that "of course," the Azerbaijani plane "was hit by accident. Of course, there can be no talk of a deliberate act of terror here."

"Therefore, admitting the guilt, apologizing in a timely manner to Azerbaijan, which is considered a friendly country, and informing the public about this - all these were measures and steps that should have been taken," he said.

Air Canada flight catches fire during landing

TORONTO, Dec 29: The Halifax Airport was shut down by the authorities on Saturday night (local time) after part of the plane caught fire during a rough landing. According to Canadian news outlet CBC News, the plane was coming from St John’s, experienced a problem landing and skidded down the runway.

One of the passengers who was onboard told CBC News that one of the plane tyres did not deploy properly during the landing. “The plane started to sit at about a 20-degree angle to the left and, as that happened, we heard a pretty loud — what almost sounded like a crash sound — as the wing of the plane started to skid along the pavement, along with what I presume was the engine,” the passenger named Nikki Valentine told the Canadian news outlet.

Valentine recalled that the plane skidded down the runway for a “decent” distance as the pilots worked to stop the aircraft. It eventually caught fire, raising alarms among the airport authorities. “The plane shook quite a bit and we started seeing fire on the left side of the plane and smoke started coming in the windows,” she said.

Soon after the incident, the Halifax Airport authorities issued a statement in which they mentioned that the aircraft which faced the malfunction was Air Canada Flight 2259, which was operated by PAL Airlines. The incident took place at 9:30 pm (local time) and the cause of the malfunction is still unknown.

Days After Azerbaijan Plane Crashed In Russian Airspace, Putin's Apology

MOSCOW, Dec 28: Russia's Vladimir Putin on Saturday apologised to Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, for a "tragic incident" which happened in Russian airspace involving an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger plane that crashed on Wednesday.

Flight J2-8243 crashed on Wednesday in a ball of fire near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan after diverting from southern Russia where Ukrainian drones were reported to be attacking several cities. At least 38 people were killed while 29 survived.

"(President) Vladimir Putin apologised for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace and once again expressed his deep and sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured," the Kremlin said in a statement.

"It was noted in the conversation that the Azerbaijani passenger aircraft, which was travelling according to its schedule, repeatedly tried to land at Grozny airport. At that time, Grozny, Mozdok and Vladikavkaz were being attacked by Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles, and Russian air defense systems repelled these attacks," the Kremlin said.

'External Interference' Caused Plane Crash In Kazakhstan: Azerbaijan Airlines

BAKU, Dec 27: Azerbaijan Airlines said "external physical and technical interference" led to the plane crash in Kazakhstan in which 38 people died out of 67 on board.

On Christmas, the Embraer 190 aircraft operated by Azerbaijan Airlines, took off from Baku for Grozny in Russia's Chechnya. The aircraft was 'denied landing due to fog' in Grozny and diverted far off the Caspian Sea, where it crashed in the Aktau city of Kazakhstan, killing 38 and 29 surviving the crash.

A day later, reporters emerged that a Russian surface-to-air missile may have caused the deadly crash, forcing the aircraft to limp off the Caspian Sea and then crashing in an open field. Reports say the missile was "accidentally fired" on the aircraft, a hypothesis the Kremlin has rejected and "warned against".

An investigation is still underway but a pro-government Azerbaijani website, Caliber, cited unnamed officials in a report and said that a missile from a Pantsir-S air defence system downed the plane.

Videos from the crash site showed holes in the aircraft's nose and damage from shrapnel from the missiles, an observation pointed out by military and aviation experts in foreign media reports such as the Wall Street Journal, Euronews and AFP.

Azerbaijan Airlines' flight J28243 operates between Baku and Grozny, a city in Russia's Chechnya that has been a target of Ukrainian drones and is a site defence heavily by anti-aircraft weapons such as surface-to-air missiles.

Online flight tracking website, FlightRadar24, earlier said the aircraft experienced strong GPS jamming but did not explain what led to it. The aircraft struggled to maintain an altitude for an hour, with its vertical speed data graph showing a steady altitude and then a sudden drop in height and fluctuations in its altitude before it crashed.

The Azerbaijan Airlines announced Friday that it will suspend flights to several Russian airports, citing potential flight safety risks.

A passenger said that there was at least one loud bang as it approached Grozny. "I thought the plane was going to fall apart," Subhonkul Rakhimov, one of the passengers, told Reuters from the hospital, adding that he had begun to recite prayers and prepare for the end after hearing the bang.

After the loud bang, the plane had acted strangely as if it was drunk, Rakhimov said. "It was as if it was drunk - not the same plane anymore," he said.

While Russia says the investigation is underway, Reuters reported quoting four sources that Russian air defences had mistakenly shot it down.

Rosaviatsia, Russia's aviation watchdog, said that the captain of the plane had been offered other airports at which to land, but had chosen Kazakhstan's Aktau, Reuters reported.

The damage to the aircraft was reminiscent of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 which was shot down by Russian-backed forces with a Buk 9M38 surface-to-air missile in 2014 while flying over eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast.

All 283 passengers and 15 crew were killed onboard the Boeing-777 aircraft.

Azerbaijan Airlines Plane May Have Been Shot 'Accidentally' By Russia: Report

NEW DELHI, Dec 26: The Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed near Kazakhstan's Aqtau on Christmas Day - while en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia - may have been "accidentally struck" by a Russian surface-to-air missile or antiaircraft fire, military experts cited in multiple news reports have suggested.

Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board - 62 passengers and five crew - were killed.

Among the 29 survivors were two young girls - 11 and 16 years old.

An inquiry is ongoing, but aviation experts cited in some foreign media reports, such as those by the Wall Street Journal, Euronews, and news agency AFP, have pointed to holes in the plane's fuselage, and marks on the tail section, as being consistent with damage from shrapnel from missiles.

A video posted on X by Clash Report, which covers military conflicts, showed multiple large holes in the plane's fuselage, some several inches wide.

It has also been pointed out the Azerbaijan Airlines plane was flying into an area where Ukraine drone activity had been reported, and that Grozny - the Chechnya capital and a key target for Kyiv as the war with Russia stretches to a third year - is heavily defended by anti-aircraft weaponry.

A Russian military blogger, Yury Podolyaka, said holes seen in the wreckage of the plane were similar to damage caused by "anti-aircraft missile system". The damage suggests the plane may have been "accidentally struck by an air-defence missile system", he said.

And Matt Borie, the Chief Intelligence Officer at aviation risk management firm Osprey Flight Solutions, told the Journal (story behind paywall), "The wreckage and circumstances around airspace security in southwest Russia indicates... the aircraft was hit by some form of antiaircraft fire."

A Russian media outlet, Meduza, concurred in its assessment; in a report by The Kyiv Independent, it said footage of the damaged plane parts showed traces of a surface-to-air missile impact, and that similar damage had been observed in other civilian and military aircraft shot down by such missiles.

In addition, there are reports that Grozny had been attacked by Ukrainian drones a few weeks earlier, suggesting Russian air defences stationed there may have mistaken the Azerbaijan Airlines plane for a drone and engaged the Embraer 190 jet.

In fact, some of the survivors (all of whom had been seated in the tail section) claimed to have heard loud explosions outside the aircraft shortly after requests to land at Grozny airport were rejected.

These explosions, the UK's Telegraph said, were the plane's oxygen tanks exploding mid-air.

The plane then turned back across the Caspian Sea, possibly to return to Kazakhstan, but a second emergency (as yet unknown, but possibly a hydraulics failure) prompted the request to land at Aqtau.

Unfortunately, the plane didn't make it that far, crashing into a field three km from the airport.

Frightening visuals online showed it struggling to maintain altitude, slipping into a nosedive, and then slamming into the ground, causing the tail and fuselage to break apart. Azerbaijan Airlines initially said the crash was due to a flock of birds hitting the plane, but later withdrew the statement.

The plane's black box has been recovered, and data from the flight data and voice recorders will be studied as part of the investigation, the Euronews report said.

Should a Russian missile be identified as the cause of this crash, it will be the second time (confirmed as such) a commercial jet has been shot down by Moscow or its allies. In 2014, Malaysian Airlines' MH-17 was shot down by Russian-backed forces in the Donbas, also with a surface-to-air missile.

"We need to await the end of the investigation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP.

Meanwhile Kazakh Senate speaker Maulen Ashimbayev was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying it is "not possible", at this time, to say what may have damaged the plane.

"Real experts are looking... they will make their conclusions. Neither Kazakhstan nor Russia nor Azerbaijan, of course, are interested in hiding information. It will be brought to the public," he said.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a day of mourning and cancelled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations. He also ordered a series of measures to investigate possible causes of the disaster.

Aliyev also said he was told that "worsening weather conditions" led to the crash.

"I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash... and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," he said in a social media post. His wife Mehriban Aliyeva, who is also Vice President, said she was "deeply saddened by the news of the tragic loss of lives in the plane crash..."

Russia may have 'accidentally' shot Azerbaijan Airlines Plane: Report

NEW DELHI, Dec 26: The Azerbaijan Airlines plane that crashed near Kazakhstan's Aqtau on Christmas Day - while en route from Baku to Grozny in Russia - may have been "accidentally struck" by a Russian surface-to-air missile or antiaircraft fire, military experts cited in multiple news reports have suggested.

Thirty-eight of the 67 people on board - 62 passengers and five crew - were killed.

Among the 29 survivors were two young girls - 11 and 16 years old.

An inquiry is ongoing, but aviation experts cited in some foreign media reports, such as those by the Wall Street Journal, Euronews, and news agency AFP, have pointed to holes in the plane's fuselage, and marks on the tail section, as being consistent with damage from shrapnel from missiles.

A video posted on X by Clash Report, which covers military conflicts, showed multiple large holes in the plane's fuselage, some several inches wide.

It has also been pointed out the Azerbaijan Airlines plane was flying into an area where Ukraine drone activity had been reported, and that Grozny - the Chechnya capital and a key target for Kyiv as the war with Russia stretches to a third year - is heavily defended by anti-aircraft weaponry.

A Russian military blogger, Yury Podolyaka, said holes seen in the wreckage of the plane were similar to damage caused by "anti-aircraft missile system". The damage suggests the plane may have been "accidentally struck by an air-defence missile system", he said.

And Matt Borie, the Chief Intelligence Officer at aviation risk management firm Osprey Flight Solutions, told the Journal (story behind paywall), "The wreckage and circumstances around airspace security in southwest Russia indicates... the aircraft was hit by some form of antiaircraft fire."

A Russian media outlet, Meduza, concurred in its assessment; in a report by The Kyiv Independent, it said footage of the damaged plane parts showed traces of a surface-to-air missile impact, and that similar damage had been observed in other civilian and military aircraft shot down by such missiles.

In addition, there are reports that Grozny had been attacked by Ukrainian drones a few weeks earlier, suggesting Russian air defences stationed there may have mistaken the Azerbaijan Airlines plane for a drone and engaged the Embraer 190 jet.

In fact, some of the survivors (all of whom had been seated in the tail section) claimed to have heard loud explosions outside the aircraft shortly after requests to land at Grozny airport were rejected.

These explosions, the UK's Telegraph said, were the plane's oxygen tanks exploding mid-air.

The plane then turned back across the Caspian Sea, possibly to return to Kazakhstan, but a second emergency (as yet unknown, but possibly a hydraulics failure) prompted the request to land at Aqtau.

Unfortunately, the plane didn't make it that far, crashing into a field three km from the airport.

Frightening visuals online showed it struggling to maintain altitude, slipping into a nosedive, and then slamming into the ground, causing the tail and fuselage to break apart. Azerbaijan Airlines initially said the crash was due to a flock of birds hitting the plane, but later withdrew the statement.

The plane's black box has been recovered, and data from the flight data and voice recorders will be studied as part of the investigation, the Euronews report said.

Should a Russian missile be identified as the cause of this crash, it will be the second time (confirmed as such) a commercial jet has been shot down by Moscow or its allies. In 2014, Malaysian Airlines' MH-17 was shot down by Russian-backed forces in the Donbas, also with a surface-to-air missile.

"We need to await the end of the investigation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told AFP.

Meanwhile Kazakh Senate speaker Maulen Ashimbayev was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying it is "not possible", at this time, to say what may have damaged the plane.

"Real experts are looking... they will make their conclusions. Neither Kazakhstan nor Russia nor Azerbaijan, of course, are interested in hiding information. It will be brought to the public," he said.

Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev declared Thursday a day of mourning and cancelled a planned visit to Russia for an informal summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a grouping of former Soviet nations. He also ordered a series of measures to investigate possible causes of the disaster.

Aliyev also said he was told that "worsening weather conditions" led to the crash.

"I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the crash... and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," he said in a social media post. His wife Mehriban Aliyeva, who is also Vice President, said she was "deeply saddened by the news of the tragic loss of lives in the plane crash..."

38 dead after Azerbaijan plane crashes in Kazakhstan

BAKU, Dec 25: A passenger plane from Azerbaijan Airlines burst into flames after crashing near the Aktau city of Kazakhstan, the country's Emergencies Ministry said.

The Embraer 190 plane was en route from Azerbaijan's capital Baku to Grzony in Russia's Chechnya but was rerouted due to fog in Grozny. Sixty-two passengers were onboard the plane along with five crew members.There are 29 survivors.

The crash took place near the airport. The plane reportedly took several circles, requesting an emergency landing, but it stalled and crashed.

The Kazakh transport ministry said that of the plane's passengers, 37 were from Azerbaijan, six from Kazakhstan, three from Kyrgyzstan and 16 from Russia.

The plane transmitted a distress signal before the crash due to a collision with a flock of birds and a steering malfunction. The pilots tried to gain speed and altitude until the very end, but the controls completely failed.

On Christmas Eve, American Airlines Grounds All Flights In US For An Hour

NEW YORK, Dec 24: The world's largest airline operator, American Airlines, resumed operations in the United States on Christmas Eve after a brief pause due to an unspecified technical glitch. The Federal Aviation Administration has lifted the ground stop of American Airlines after halting operations.

The disruption, which lasted over an hour, affected thousands of passengers in the US during the Christmas period when air travel is at its peak.

"Our teams are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible, and we apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," the airline earlier said while responding to a passenger's complaint on X.

Announcements were made at airports when passengers were ready to board the flights. A video from an airport in the US showed the airline informing passengers that "They will give an update every 15 minutes and let them know what is going on...Our system is down and we cannot put the crew on or board any customer...We are working on it."

The problem came on the morning of Christmas Eve, which is expected to set a travel record, according to the AAA. Several passengers posted on social media about the inconvenience faced, especially at the airport as flights were cancelled or grounded hours before the scheduled take off.

A note from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the company has requested for grounding of all flights.

The shares of the carrier were down 3.8% before the bell, Reuters reported. The airline has not made any formal statement on social media but responded to passenger complaints on X, Facebook and Bluesky.

This comes almost six months after the world faced a Microsoft outage, with airlines, banks, and businesses scrambling to resume operations.

The US grounded all planes briefly; flights in other nations were affected. It was one of the biggest IT crashes in recent history, affecting global communication and air traffic.

Air India places order to purchase 100 more Airbus aircraft

NEW DELHI, Dec 10: Tata group-owned Air India on December 9 said it has placed an order to purchase 100 more Airbus aircraft, comprising 10 widebody A350 and 90 narrowbody A320 Family aircraft, including A321neo. These 100 new aircraft are in addition to the firm orders of 470 aircraft that Air India had placed with Airbus and Boeing last year.

When the Tata Group had last year ordered 470 planes worth $70 billion at list price - it had got an option and purchase rights for 370 more Airbus and Boeing planes to be procured over the next decade.

The latest order takes the total number of aircraft that Air India ordered with Airbus in 2023 from 250 aircraft, comprising 40 A350 and 210 A320 Family aircraft, to 350.

In a statement, Air India said it has tied up with Airbus for component and maintenance support for its A350 fleet.

"Air India also announced it has selected Airbus’ Flight Hour Services-Component (FHS-C) to support the maintenance requirements of its growing A350 fleet. The new materials & maintenance contract will help Air India to optimise the reliability and performance of its A350 fleet, with comprehensive engineering services and integrated component services including on-site stock at Delhi provided by Airbus," said the airline.

With the order for 100 additional aircraft, Air India currently has a total of 344 new aircraft incoming from Airbus, having received six A350s so far. Air India in 2023 had also placed orders for 220 widebody and narrowbody aircraft with Boeing, of which 185 aircraft remain to be delivered.

N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India, said: “With India’s passenger growth outpacing the rest of the world, its significantly improving infrastructure and an aspirational young population increasingly going global, we see a clear case for Air India to expand its future fleet beyond the firm orders of the 470 aircraft placed last year. These additional 100 Airbus aircraft will help to position Air India on the path to greater growth and contribute to our mission of building Air India into a world-class airline that connects India to every corner of the world.”

Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, said: “Having personally witnessed the formidable growth of the Indian aviation sector in recent months, I am glad to see Air India renew its trust in Airbus with this additional order for both our A320 Family and A350 aircraft. Through this continued partnership, we are committed to supporting the success of Air India's "Vihaan.AI" transformation plan under Tata's vision and leadership.”

"Air India is the first Indian airline to operate the Airbus A350, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. Delivering exceptional fuel-efficiency, passenger comfort, and long-range capabilities, the A350s now offer an all-new Air India flying experience to travellers flying non-stop from Delhi to London and New York," said the airline.

Airbus had in October announced that an unnamed customer had placed an order for 75 A320-family jets and 10 long-haul A350s - a deal worth $6.3 billion after typical discounts, according to Cirium Ascend data.

Last month the airlines' Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson pointed out that its aggressive expansion to the US market would have been delayed by five year if the airline had waited for new planes to offer customers a more premium experience.

He also pointed out that there has been a delay in Air India getting delivery of 50 white tail aircraft, which were earlier expected to join the fleet by December this year. Out of the total 50 white tail Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, at least 35 have joined the fleet. These planes are being operated by Air India Express.

Indian airlines, including AI, AI Express and Akasa, have been getting planes - A350 and B737 MAX - from Airbus and Boeing that were made for carriers of other countries like Russia where they can't supply now due to sanctions and other reasons.

Air India has also rejiged its 250-aircraft order with Airbus that was placed last year. The airline had placed an original order for 250 aircraft with Airbus, comprising 210 narrowbody A320 family including 140 A320neo and 70 A321neo aircraft which was changed the order to 140 A321neo and 70 A320neo aircraft. The remaining 40 widebody A1350s included six A350-900 and 34 A350-1000s. The carrier had tweaked the widebody order to 20 A350-900s and 20 A350-1000s.

Couple Engage In Sexual Activity On Flight, Crew Under Probe For Video Leak

ZURICH, Dec 7: A video of a couple engaging in sexual activity onboard a commercial flight has sparked massive outrage over social media leading to an internal investigation by the airline.

The video was captured by the cockpit-controlled security cameras on the Swiss Air passenger jet.

It shows the couple engaging in sexual activity in the galley of the plane. It was filmed in November on Swiss Air's 12-hour-long Flight 181 flying from Bangkok to Zurich.

"A couple on board a recent Swiss Air flight from Bangkok to Zurich joined the mile-high club in the first-class galley while secretly being recorded by the pilots. The cockpit crew are now under investigation for sharing the footage on group chats which has since gone viral," one person wrote on X, while sharing a screenshot from the viral video.

Swiss Air has launched an investigation into privacy 'violations', while airline officials have promised to identify and discipline the crew members who are responsible for recording the video without the permission of the couple and later posting it on social media.

"The filming of people without their clear consent as well as the transfer of these recordings contradict our guidelines and values and violate the applicable data protection regulations," Daily Mail quoted Swiss Air media spokesperson Meike Fuhlrott as saying.

She noted that the crew after spotting the couple on camera should have "intervened directly" and not filmed the act. "Our crews are known for their professionalism. We trust in the competence of our crews and are convinced of their abilities," Fuhlrott added.

Further, the airline noted that both the viral footage as well as the sarcastic commentary on social media were "disrespectful" to passengers.

Fuhlrott said that the airline is trying to find out "exactly what happened and how these recordings came out". The trust of our passengers and respectful interactions are our top priority," the airline official said.

It must be noted that the CCTV cameras on the planes were part of crew security measures that were installed after the 9/11 hijackings. These are aimed at monitoring any attempts to break into the cockpit, rather than spying on passengers, she added.

Indian passengers face nightmare as Gulf Air fights gets diverted at Kuwait airport

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 1: Indian passengers flying from Mumbai to Manchester who have been stuck at Kuwait airport for 13 hours have complained of severe problems including not getting "food or help". Their ordeal started after their flight made an emergency landing following an engine fire incident.

The Indian embassy in Kuwait in a post on X said they immediately took up the matter with Gulf Air.

A chaotic video surfaced on social media showing the passengers of Gulf Air arguing with the airport authorities.

The passengers alleged they were harassed and only flyers from the European Union, the UK and the US were given accommodation by the airline. They alleged bias and harassment against those holding Indian, Pakistani and other Southeast Asian nation passports.

The Indian embassy in Kuwait in the post on X said a team from the embassy is at the airport to assist the passengers and coordinate with the airline, adding passengers have been accommodated in two airport lounges.

Passengers said their flight took a U-turn before it landed in Kuwait. They said the announcement of the flight diversion came 20 minutes before landing.

Gulf Air has not given a statement on the matter yet.

The flight was on its way from Bahrain to Manchester, after coming from Mumbai, and it was flying for nearly two hours when suddenly everyone was told to prepare for emergency landing, the passenger said.

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