The airline reportedly confirmed that the accident happened as the plane which was scheduled to fly from Mumbai to Hyderabad was being pushed back for departure.

Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani described the accident as a "mishap", but it is not yet clear what happened, the BBC said. He added that the incident was being investigated.

The accident occurred on Wednesday, according to the Times of India, with the victim, Ravi Subramanium, is thought to have been standing nearby the engine when the co-pilot started it up.

The newspaper said the aircraft was being pushed back by a tow van from the parking bay before take-off.

"No one knew what happened. All of a sudden we heard that the technician has been sucked into the engine," the newspaper quoted an airline source as saying.

An Air India official told The Hindustan Times they were "absolutely clueless on how this person was near the aircraft".

"Only an inquiry can establish whose negligence it was and whether the engine should have been switched on at that time," an airline official said.

Air India, which is owned by the state, has plagued by financial issues in recent years, failing to report a profit since 2007.