JetBlue flight evacuates at JFK Airport amid reports of fire onboard

JetBlue has not commented on the incident

A JetBlue plane was evacuated at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York on Saturday amid reports of a fire onboard. The California-bound flight was about to take off just before 8.30pm when the crew alerted the control tower of an issue.

The aircraft, which holds 180 passengers, was emptied and the New York City Fire Department was called in, according to officials from the Port Authority of New York. However, firefighters found no signs of flames.

Rumours circulated online nonetheless, with some claiming the plane had gone off the runway. Instead, it simply experienced an “engine problem”, the Federal Aviation Authority said. They did not expand on what the problem was, however.

The issue was eventually resolved and the flight took off safely, but passengers did need to wait until after midnight to depart. JetBlue has not yet commented on the incident, but the FAA is reportedly investigating.

The news comes just over a week after an Alaska Airlines flight made headlines when a door panel blew off the jet mid-flight, leaving passengers exposed to the elements at over 16,000 feet. Boeing, which made the aircraft, has come under fire since the incident and all Boeing 737 Max 9 planes remain grounded in the US.

Over 200 United Airlines and Alaska Airlines flights were cancelled each day last week because of the grounding and the FAA announced on Friday that it is going to audit Boeing’s production line and suppliers. FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said: “We are working to make sure nothing like this happens again. Our only concern is the safety of American travellers and the Boeing 737-9 Max will not return to the skies until we are entirely satisfied it is safe.”

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