An Air China Airbus A320neo made an emergency landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport on the afternoon of Sunday, September 10 after a failure in the left engine.
According to reports, the crew squawked the code 7700 into the transponder, indicating an emergency. Passenger footage shows the cabin filled with smoke.
The plane was evacuated on the airport runway as the central core of the PW1100G engine caught fire. A video showed the moment passengers leave the A320neo as fire trucks approach.
According to local media, there were 146 passengers on board and nine crew members. Some passengers reportedly suffered only minor injuries.
The A320neo with registration B-305J was delivered by Airbus in December 2018 through leasing with the company Bocomm Leasing. The single-aisle jet was assembled at the Airbus facility in Tianjin, China.
Pratt&Whitney engine on fire, Air China flight evacuated on Singapore runway.
CA403 TFU-SIN squawking 7700 shortly before landing at Singapore due to PW1100G engine fire. Heavy smoke in cabin, crew evacuated the plane on runway.
The aircraft is a 4-year old A320neo B-305J. pic.twitter.com/CHBTPt8Du2
— FATIII Aviation (@FATIIIAviation) September 10, 2023
The PW1100G engine, also known as GTF, is a new turbofan from Pratt & Whitney that uses geared rotor technology, capable of delivering more efficient performance.
However, the engine has presented several reliability problems, forcing Pratt & Whitney to implement modifications and updates in the turbofans, which are also used by the Airbus A220 and the E2 family, from Embraer.
