A Delta passenger plane caught fire on the runway at Orlando International Airport in the USA. Passengers had to evacuate using emergency slides. This is reported by UNN with reference to CBS.
A Delta passenger plane caught fire on the runway at Orlando International Airport. Passengers had to evacuate using emergency slides
The flight, which was heading to Atlanta, was scheduled to depart around 11:15 AM local time on Monday, but the plane's engine suddenly caught fire.
"The fire was contained and extinguished," said an Orlando airport spokesperson, adding that fire crews were on site. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
According to Delta, there were 282 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and two pilots on board the Airbus 330 aircraft. The airline reported that the crew evacuated passengers when they noticed flames in the exhaust of one of the plane's two main engines. Passengers returned to the terminal building.
The carrier company assured that it would engage additional aircraft to help passengers travel to their destination.
"We appreciate the cooperation of our customers and apologize for the experience. Nothing is more important than safety, and the Delta teams will work to get our customers to their final destination as quickly as possible," the airline's statement said.
The FAA stated that it would investigate the incident, and Delta reported that maintenance crews would inspect the aircraft.
Additionally
In February, 21 people were injured after a Delta plane tipped over during landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. All injured passengers were later discharged from the hospital. In January, several people were injured after a plane from the same airline aborted its takeoff at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, forcing about 200 passengers to evacuate the aircraft using emergency slides.