AI praises staff for prompt action

Mumbai, Sep 5: The Air India CMD denied the flouting of safety norms and praised the staff for promptly handling the 213 evacuated passengers following the fire in the engine of AI flight 829 on Thursday, Sep 4.

"I commend the exemplary manner in which the efforts and response put in by the pilots, cabin crew, the ground staff, the engineers and commercial staff in ensuring the safety of passengers and needs and assisting them to finally leave for Riyadh", said Air India Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav.

Air India sources told Times Now that the 16-member crew aboard the flight evacuated all 213 panicked passengers via slides in 63 seconds instead of the standard 90 seconds.

DGCA's aviation probe state that the fire broke due to a leak in the plane's fuel struts, which connect the fuel tanks to the engine.

OneIndia News