Engine fire forces Garuda flight to make emergency landing

Jakarta: A jetliner taking 468 people from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia made an emergency landing Wednesday (May 15) due to an engine fire, the Garuda Indonesia airline said.

The Indonesian flag carrier said the Garuda-1105 flight to Medina - operated by a Boeing 747-400 - returned to its original airport in the Indonesian city of Makassar at 17:15 local time (0915 GMT) with all passengers unhurt.

"The decision was made by the Pilot in Command immediately after takeoff, considering engine problems that required further examination after sparks of fire were observed in one of the engines," said Garuda President Director Irfan Setiaputra in a statement.

There were 450 passengers and 18 crew members on the flight, Irfan said, including pilgrims for the Hajj, the days-long Muslim pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

They were all redirected to accommodations before boarding a replacement flight later on Wednesday to Saudi Arabia, he said.

Footage posted on social media, which has not been verified by AFP, purported to show the plane's engine catching fire as it took off.

This plane was grounded for a safety probe, Irfan said.

The airline, 60 per cent owned by the Indonesian state, suffered massive losses during the Covid-19 pandemic, grounding the majority of its fleet over travel restrictions and declining demand and laying off hundreds of employees.

-B