An Etihad flight bound for Jakarta was forced to return to Abu Dhabi minutes after take-off after experiencing an engine-related problem mid-air.
Emirati newspaper Khaleej Times reported one passenger tweeting to the airlines: “Around one min after take-off I heard an explosion from the right engine, and the aircraft was unstable for few seconds. The pilot manage to land the aircraft safely back to Abu Dhabi airport, and now we are waiting for an explanation”.
The flight was reportedly the EY 474 that took off from Abu Dhabi at around 2.55 am on Wednesday. Etihad tweeted back saying the plane had returned to Abu Dhabi due to a “technical issue.”
“The aircraft landed safely and passengers disembarked and are now in the terminal building,” read the Etihad tweet.
“Etihad Airways flight EY474, from Abu Dhabi to Jakarta, returned to Abu Dhabi Airport shortly after take-off due to a technical issue with one of its engines. The aircraft landed safely and passengers disembarked. A replacement aircraft was provided and the flight departed at 7.30am,” an official statement from a spokesperson issued to Khaleej Times read.
“Etihad Airways apologizes for the delay and inconvenience to passengers. Safety is the airline’s number one priority,” the statement added.
