British Airways emergency: Jet catches FIRE with passengers evacuated
Dramatic images show firefighters hosing down the plane at Copenhagen Airport, Denmark, not long after it arrived from London. The crew and passengers were rushed off the jet as the emergency services dealt with the blaze.
Videos circulating on social media show a crowd of passengers in a waiting room at the airport watching the firefighters tackling the fire.
The flight’s return leg to London was cancelled as a result of what happened.
Police in Denmark said the plane was evacuated after a fire broke out in one of the engines.
They tweeted: “A fire erupted in an engine of a passenger jet that was stopped at the gate. Fire is out. Passengers evacuated. No one injured.”
The latest incident comes against a backdrop of mounting frustration about long queues at airports and airlines cancelling flights.
British Airways (BA) announced on Tuesday it will axe another 10,300 short-haul flights to the end of October.
The move takes the percentage of cancellations across the airline to a total of 13 percent this summer.
BA has been one of the worst-affected carriers in terms of schedule disruption in recent months as the aviation industry battles increased demand and staff shortages after the easing of Covid travel restrictions.
In a statement the airline said it was not where it wanted to be, but believed the cuts were the right thing to do for its customers and colleagues.
It said: “The whole aviation industry continues to face into significant challenges and we’re completely focused on building resilience into our operation to give customers the certainty they deserve. The Government recently decided to give the whole industry slot alleviation to minimise potential disruption this summer.
“While taking further action is not where we wanted to be, it’s the right thing to do for our customers and our colleagues. This new flexibility means we can further reduce our schedule and consolidate some of our quieter services so we can protect as many of our holiday flights as possible.”
Source: The Express
