Nearly 200 Ryanair passengers had to use the emergency slide to evacuate a plane today after it caught fire.
The Ryanair flight was ready for take-off at Brindisi Airport in Italy when flames came from the engine. Firefighters dashed to the plane, which aborted its departure, and the 184 passengers were evacuated using the inflatable slide.
The airport in the south of the country has been forced to close due to the emergency. A spokesperson said: "Aeroporti di Puglia announces that due to a problem with a departing aircraft, it was necessary to close the Salento Airport in Brindisi. The problem, which occurred when the aircraft was already aligned at the head for take-off, required the evacuation of passengers via emergency slides.
"All operations were carried out with maximum safety for passengers and crew. The passengers are already at the airport where they are being assisted by Aeroporti di Puglia personnel. The company's technicians are working on the interventions within their competence and necessary so that Aeroporti di Puglia can proceed with the subsequent checks on the usability of the runway and proceed with the reopening of the airport."
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Cabin crew saw fumes emitting from outside the aircraft as it prepared to depart Brindisi and the emrgency procedure was carried out. No significant injuries have been reported.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "Flight FR8826 from Brindisi to Turin (3rd Oct) was delayed this morning after cabin crew observed fumes on the outside of the aircraft. Passengers were disembarked without incident and returned to the terminal by bus. We sincerely apologise to affected passengers for this delay, and a spare aircraft will operate Flight FR8826 from Brindisi to Turin later this morning."
Ryanair and British Airways are among several airlines which use the airport, which typically caters for more than three million passengers every year. It is understood the Ryanair plane, flight FR8826, was due to leave Brindisi for Turin, a city in the northwest of Italy.
The drama comes after "all four" of a Ryanair plane's tyres burst as it landed at Bergamo's Orio al Serio airport, near Milan on Tuesday. Dramatic pictures show the passenger plane with its tyres missing and metal wheels ground down after apparently scraping along the runway.
Arrivals and departures wee suspended at the airport as a result of the incident. Onlookers who had been on another flight have claimed their pilot told them the episode happened due to a "bad landing", though this was not been confirmed by the airline or airport.
