Doha-bound Qatar Airways flight ddelayed by nearly five hours.
Fire indication observed by the pilot during boarding delayed a Doha-bound Qatar Airways flight by nearly five hours on Thursday at Kolkata Airport in Bengal.
The flight QR-541 was originally scheduled to take off at 3:15 am.
Officials from the Airport Authority of India said while boarding of Qatar Airways flight QR-541 was in progress, the pilot observed fire indication in the auxillary power unit. A full emergency was declared by Air Traffic Control at 3 am which was withdrawn an hour later.
Only after the aircraft was thoroughly inspected by the team of engineers, passengers were allowed to board it, said an airport official.
After the aircraft was checked and cleared, the flight finally departed at 8:11 am.
In a statement, Qatar Airways apologised for the delay that occurred due to a technical issue on board, adding that the airlines'' top priority is safety and security of the passengers.
"Qatar Airways regrets the delay to flight QR541 from Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport to Doha due to a technical issue on board that resulted in a short delay. All passengers were provided refreshments," the airlines said.
"We thank our passengers for their patience and understanding, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused by this situation. The safety and security of our passengers remain Qatar Airways' top priority," it added.
(With Inputs From ANI, IANS)