Amritsar: It was a narrow escape for 171 passengers onboard a Dubai-bound Air India flight when a dog appeared on the runway when the plane was taxiing forcing the pilot to abort the take-off at Rajasansi International Airport here today.

An official at the airport said the dog appeared before the front tyre of Amritsar-Dubai Air India Express Flight at around 3.10 pm when plane was taxiing to the runway for take-off.

The pilot applied the emergency brakes and brought the plane back to the bay, the official said.

All the 171 passengers were deplaned and a thorough technical checkup of the aircraft was carried out, especially the breaks pressure and position of engine mountings.

After carrying out the necessary check-ups, the plane took off at 7.13 pm for its destination, after nearly four hours of delay.