Plane forced to make emergency landing after engine catches fire mid-flight

An Indonesia Garuda Airlines passenger plane had to make an emergency landing when one of its engines caught fire shortly after takeoff. The Boeing 747-400 aircraft, carrying 468 passengers from Makassar to Madinah, experienced the engine fire prompting a swift return to its departure airport.

Garuda Indonesia confirmed that the aircraft returned to Makassar airport after the observation of fire in one of its engines. Fortunately, all 450 passengers, including those on a Hajj pilgrimage, and 18 crew members were safely evacuated, with no injuries reported.

Videos shared by JACDEC, a plane crash data evaluation firm, depicted the engine blaze as the plane ascended. Garuda's president-director, Irfan Setiaputra, stated that the decision to return was made by the pilot due to engine issues observed after takeoff.

An investigation into the incident was initiated, leading to the grounding of the aircraft. Passengers were provided accommodation before being placed on a replacement flight later that day.

This event adds to a series of incidents affecting Indonesian carriers, which faced bans from the US and the EU in 2007 but had those restrictions lifted in subsequent years. The Aviation Safety Network records 106 civilian airline accidents in Indonesia since 1945, resulting in 2,305 fatalities.

Recent notable incidents include a Batik Air flight in January 2022, where pilots reportedly fell asleep mid-flight, and a 2021 Sriwijaya Air crash that claimed 62 lives. These incidents underscore ongoing safety challenges within Indonesia's aviation industry.