A Kathmandu-bound SpiceJet flight returned to the bay at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday after a suspected tailpipe fire was reported while the aircraft was still on the ground.
According to airline officials, no cockpit warnings were triggered, but the pilots chose to return the aircraft to the bay as a precautionary safety measure following the observation by personnel from another aircraft.
The flight, SG041, was being operated with a Boeing 737-8 and was initially scheduled to depart in the morning. However, it faced a nearly seven-hour delay and eventually took off around 3.00pm. The flight landed safely in Kathmandu at approximately 5.10pm, as per data from Flightradar24.com.
“On September 11, 2025, a SpiceJet aircraft scheduled to operate from Delhi to Kathmandu returned to bay after another aircraft on the ground reported a suspected tailpipe fire.” SpiceJet said in a statement.
The aircraft underwent thorough engineering checks, and no abnormalities were detected. It was subsequently cleared for further operations, the airline confirmed.
A tailpipe fire - technically known as an internal fire - refers to a blaze occurring within the exhaust section of a jet engine, typically during startup or shutdown while the plane is on the ground.