If the industry and government criticism Boeing is currently undergoing is not enough, the company has been dealt with another aviation incident after one of the engines of a Garuda Indonesia 747-400 caught fire Wednesday afternoon (May 15) while taking off from Makassar airport in Sulawesi Island.
Singaporean news agency Mediacorp reported that Garuda Flight 1105's pilot made the decision to return to the airport after taking off.
Footage of the purported takeoff shared on social media is yet to be independently verified.
Garuda Indonesia 747-412 returns safely to Makassar Airport in Indonesia after an engine failure during takeoff. pic.twitter.com/VibKqCQosc
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) May 15, 2024
The flight carried 450 passengers and 18 crew members en route to Saudi Arabia, with some of them embarking on the "hajj," or the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
No one aboard was hurt and passengers boarded a replacement flight later that same evening.
In a statement after the incident, Garuda CEO Irfan Setiaputra said that the pilot's decision considered that engine problems that involved "sparks of fire" would require further examination.
The plane has since been grounded for investigation.
Meanwhile, Indian news outlet WION reported that another Boeing plane, an Air Senegal 737-300 from Dakar to Bamako in Mali, crashed during takeoff last week, injuring 11 passengers, four of them seriously.
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