Air Transat aircraft make emergency landing at Newark airport after reports of fire on board
Passengers aboard the Boeing 737 – who flew out of Montreal and were tied to Fort Lauderdale, Florida – evacuated on the airport's lane via emergency light, according to FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. Airport firefighters responded to the scene.
Steve Coleman, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, told CNN that the pilot of the Air Transat plane was requesting an emergency landing at 8:20 and said there was smoke in the plane.
"The plane landed safely," Coleman said. Passengers "were evacuated on the runway via the gutter and bused to the terminal, where they will be located until the airline can decide what it will do with them."
Two minor injuries were reported, he said, but they were not related to the smoke.
The accident was investigated, Coleman added, and the authorities are working to get the plane off the track.
An Air Transat statement said, "Our 1[ads1]89 passenger safety is our top priority and they were evacuated quickly upon landing."
The Canadian airline said it would send another aircraft to get passengers to their destination.
