KINGSTON, Jamaica – A Delta Air Lines plane aborted takeoff Monday in Jamaica after a fire was reported in its cargo area, forcing 160 people and six crew members to evacuate the commercial jetliner which was scheduled to fly from Montego Bay to Atlanta.
Nobody was injured in the afternoon incident at Sangster International Airport in the northern tourist city of Montego Bay. A Delta spokeswoman said the flight-deck warning was not accurate and there was no fire.
Photos posted on the Jamaica Gleaner’s website show passengers using emergency chutes on the Boeing 737 to get off the aircraft and onto the runway.
The Jamaican airport was forced to close after the incident and all flights were rerouted to the island’s capital of Kingston.
The Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority said all efforts were made to reopen the runway to minimize disruptions.
Investigators have started looking into what caused the fire warning indication from the plane’s cargo bay.
FOX News
DL-1490 has fire in the loo
A Delta Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N3748Y performing flight DL-1490 from Detroit,MI to Las Vegas,NV (USA) with 161 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 60nm west of Omaha,NE (USA) when the crew reported a fire in a lavatory and decided to divert to Omaha. On approach to Omaha the crew advised that the fire was confirmed out. The aircraft landed safely on Eppley Airfield’s runway 14R with emergency services on standby , vacated the runway and taxied to the gate requesting the fire trucks to follow them to stand.
The Aviation Herald
Norwegian Air Shuttle launches Cork-Boston
A Norwegian airline has announced it is to offer transatlantic services from Cork Airport, beginning next summer.
The new routes will be operated under Norwegian’s Irish subsidiary Norwegian Air International Ltd (NAI).
A Cork to Boston service, with four or five flights a week, is planned for next May.
A service to New York is planned some time in 2017.
The airline also announced a new route from Cork serving Barcelona, to begin next May, with up to five flights a week.
Norwegian CEO Bjorn Kjos said: “This is only the beginning of our plans for new routes in Ireland but our expansion relies on the US Department of Transportation (DoT) finally approving Norwegian Air International’s application for a foreign carrier permit.
“Only DoT approval for NAI will unlock the door for these exciting new routes, creating more competition, more choice and better fares for business and leisure passengers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Cork Airport Managing Director Niall MacCarthy said: “We’re delighted that Norwegian will operate Cork Airport’s first transatlantic service.
“Cork Airport has a robust hinterland with a well-developed industrial base and a fantastic tourism product. We’re sure there will be strong demand for these new transatlantic services from both business and leisure passengers.”
The new long-haul routes from Cork to Boston and New York will be serviced by B737-800 aircraft and the new B737MAX for which Norwegian Air International will be Boeing’s European launch customer.
RTE News