Air China says engine failure may have caused fire that prompted emergency landing in Singapore

SINGAPORE: An engine mechanical failure on Air China flight CA403 may have caused the fire that triggered an emergency landing at Singapore’s Changi Airport on Sunday (Sep 10).

The airline said this was based on a preliminary assessment, adding that investigations are underway.

In a Weibo post on Monday, Air China also said crew members handled the incident according to procedures, and that passengers were cooperative during the evacuation.

Flight CA403 was travelling from Chengdu to Singapore when smoke was reported in the forward cargo hold and lavatory at about 4pm. 

The plane, with 146 passengers and nine crew members, made an emergency landing at Changi Airport at about 4.15pm.