Flight makes emergency landing in Italy after pilot forced to cut engine

CBS News

9 hours ago

A flight from Greece to Germany made an emergency landing in Italy after a "reaction near the engine" of the aircraft, airline officials said.
Condor Airlines flight DE3665 was flying from Corfu to Dusseldorf on Saturday. The plane departed Corfu's airport shortly after 8 p.m. local time, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Passengers saw flames near the plane's engine around 8:30 p.m., local media reported. Videos shared on social media show bright orange flames near the engine.
Condor Airlines said it could not confirm an engine fire, but said there was a "reaction near the engine that normally takes place in the engine's combustion chamber leading to a visible reaction at the rear of the engine." The flight crew received a fault message indicating "a parameter indication outside the normal range caused by a disturbance in the air flow supply to the engine," the airline said.
The engine was shut down "in a controlled manner," the airline told CBS News, and the plane made an emergency landing in Brindisi, a coastal Italian city. Local media reported that air traffic was closed for about half an hour as firefighters waited on the runway to respond to the plane.
No injuries were reported. There were 273 passengers and eight crew members aboard the aircraft.
Some passengers spent an uncomfortable night in the Italian city. Condor Airlines said there was "insufficient hotel capacity" in Brindisi, so some slept at the airport. The airline arranged vouchers and blankets for those passengers, and airport shops stayed open "to provide supplies." Passengers who slept at hotels will be reimbursed for the expense, the airline said.
On Sunday, Condor Airlines dispatched another aircraft to complete the route. All passengers arrived in Dusseldorf that day.
"We apologize for any inconvenience caused, but the safety of our passengers and employees is always our top priority," Condor Airlines said.