Kolkata— Panic gripped the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Monday morning after smoke was spotted billowing from the engine of a private jet moments before take-off.
According to officials, the aircraft, carrying six passengers, was taxiing toward the runway when the pilot of another aircraft noticed smoke emanating from one of its engines and immediately alerted Air Traffic Control (ATC). The ATC promptly instructed the private jet’s pilot to halt and return to the taxi bay for inspection.
Airport fire and safety teams swiftly responded to the alert and brought the situation under control. Passengers remained on board while ground engineers examined the jet.
Airport Director C. Pattovi confirmed that a detailed inspection found no signs of fire or any technical fault. “After thorough checks, the aircraft was cleared for departure and successfully took off around 11 a.m.,” he said.
The scare came less than 12 hours after a SpiceJet flight from Mumbai to Kolkata made an emergency landing at the same airport on Sunday night following an “engine malfunction” mid-air. All passengers on that flight were reported safe.
Airport officials said both incidents were unrelated but emphasized that standard safety protocols were strictly followed in both cases.
