Twitter/walthamstow1973
- All flights have been suspended at Shannon Airport in Ireland after a plane full of US troops was evacuated due to fire and smoke.
- Shannon Airport said the chartered Omni Air International Boeing 763 was halted just before take off at 6:20 a.m. (1:00 a.m. ET) on Thursday.
- "Emergency services are in attendance. All passengers and crew have disembarked. Airport operations temporarily suspended," the airport tweeted.
- The Irish Independent reported that the plane was a US military charter, and that the fire is thought to have started due to punctured tires.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
All flights from Ireland’s Shannon Airport have been suspended after a plane said to be carrying US troops was evacuated due to a fire.
Shannon Airport said an Omni Air International Boeing 763 was halted as it taxied on the runway at 6:20 a.m. (1:00 a.m. ET) on Thursday.
It came after reports that fire and smoke were seen coming from the landing gear.
Air traffic controllers instructed passengers to evacuate their aircraft as a fire was visible on the left side landing gear, Irish newspaper The Journal reported.
The Irish Independent reported the fire is thought to have started due to punctured tires on the wheels.
Shannon Airport tweeted on Thursday to address the situation: "We can confirm that an incident has occurred at Shannon Airport involving a Boeing 763 aircraft."
"Emergency services are in attendance. All passengers and crew have disembarked."
"Airport operations temporarily suspended."
Irish news outlets reported that the Omni Air International was a private charter carrying US military personnel.
Omni Air International tweeted: "We are investigating reports of an incident involving Omni Air International flight 531 at Shannon Airport, Ireland."
"The Omni Boeing 767-300 aircraft rejected takeoff and was safely evacuated. Initial reports indicate no serious injuries to passengers or crew."
Omni Air International is a US charter airline flying out of Tulsa International Airport, Oklahoma.
Shannon Airport added in a later tweet on Thursday: "We are currently working to remove the aircraft from the scene of the incident so we can resume safe operations on the runway. This may take some time."
In wake of the incident, several flight have been cancelled from the airport.
Shannon Airport is the focus of an Irish anti-war campaign which demands the government stop letting the US use the airport as a de-facto US military base.
Campaigners say over three million US troops have passed through Shannon Airport since 2003.
NOW WATCH: Inside Roborace: the Formula One for self-driving cars
See Also:
- The story of the first ever space wedding, when a woman on Earth married a cardboard cutout of her astronaut boyfriend while he watched on from the International Space Station
- A United passenger has been charged with hiding a video camera in a plane’s first-class bathroom
- A drunk United attendant slurred a safety announcement then passed out during the flight, prosecutors say
Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Bill Bostock)