Plane makes emergency landing in Shannon due to fumes on board

Fight DL-113 was travelling from Rome, Italy, to Boston in the United States. There were 294 passengers and crew on board

A transatlantic flight has been evacuated at Shannon Airport after the jet made an emergency landing there on Monday morning. Picture: Press22

Almost 300 people were evacuated from a transatlantic jet after it made an emergency landing at Shannon Airport today after fumes were reported on board.

The Delta Air Lines flight, on route from Rome to Boston, was some 230kms off the south coast of Ireland when the flight crew contacted air traffic controllers at Shannon to declare a pan-pan emergency – not as serious as a may-day – at around 11.20am.

The Airbus A330-900m with 294 souls on board, then decided to divert to Shannon, where the airport’s fire and rescue service was put on standby.

The National Ambulance Service, Clare County Fire and Rescue Service and gardaí were also notified and mobilised to the airfield.

As the flight was on route to land at Shannon, the flight crew advised air traffic controllers that had at least one person on board who was complaining of feeling unwell from the effects of the fumes.

Several ambulances were dispatched to the airport along with fire crews from Shannon and Ennis stations. Picture: Press22

The flight landed safely and without incident at 11.49am where it was met by the various emergency services and inspected.

The aircraft was then cleared to taxi to the terminal where paramedics were standing by to assess any passengers that may require assistance.

The flight crew advised controllers that they wished to evacuate everyone from the aircraft as soon as possible to ensure no one else was affected by the fumes.

The passengers were then cleared to leave the aircraft via mobile stairs placed at the front and rear of the aircraft, where with the help of fire service personnel and paramedics, they were escorted to the terminal.

Paramedics also assessed anyone on board who complained of feeling unwell. No-one required hospital treatment.

It is understood that engineers have traced the source of the fumes to a galley area on the aircraft, and they are expected to investigate the matter further before a decision is made on whether the aircraft can continue its journey.