ORLANDO, Fla. — On Monday, a fire broke out on a Delta Air Lines aircraft prior to its scheduled takeoff from a central Florida airport, necessitating the evacuation of passengers, according to airport officials. Miraculously, no injuries were reported from the incident at Orlando International Airport, as confirmed by a statement from Delta Air Lines.
Recent aviation mishaps in the U.S. have heightened apprehensions regarding air travel safety, despite air travel’s general reputation as a secure mode of transportation. Some recent ground mishaps include an incident involving an airplane that crashed and overturned upon landing in Toronto and another event where a Japan Airlines aircraft grazed a parked Delta plane while taxiing at Seattle airport. Additionally, last month, there was a fire on an American Airlines plane in Denver.
The engine fire on Delta Air Lines Flight 1213 ignited late Monday morning as the plane was stationed on the ramp, readying for departure from Orlando to Atlanta, according to airport updates shared on social media platforms. In response, passengers were safely evacuated, and the airport’s rescue and firefighting personnel promptly attended to the situation.
This Airbus A330 aircraft was carrying a total of 282 passengers, along with 10 flight attendants and two pilots, based on information from Delta. A statement from the airline outlined that “Delta flight crews adhered to protocol by evacuating the passenger cabin when flames in the tailpipe of one of the aircraft’s two engines were detected.”
Delta announced that their maintenance teams would conduct a thorough examination of the aircraft to identify the fire’s cause.