Jet forced into emergency landing over ‘cabin smoke’

A FLIGHT from Ireland to the US made an emergency landing in Canada yesterday following reports of possible smoke on board.

American Airlines flight AA-89 departed Shannon at 11.18am and was en route to Philadelphia at the time. There were 175 passengers and crew on board.

The flight was going through Canadian airspace and was west of Halifax at around 4.30pm Irish time when the crew declared an emergency, reporting smoke had been detected in the passenger cabin, and opted to divert to Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia. The crew requested emergency services to be on standby for their arrival.

The airport’s own crash crews turned out and took up positions adjacent to the runway while fire and ambulance crews from Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency Service also responded to the airport.

The Boeing 757-200 jet landed safely at around 4.50pm (Irish time) and was followed along the runway by emergency vehicles.

After landing, the pilot confirmed that everything appeared normal.

The aircraft was grounded in Halifax while a detailed inspection was carried out to establish the source of the smoke. Reports that one person had been assessed by emergency medical services were rejected by the airport.

An American Airlines spokesman said the aircraft was being evaluated to see it if could continue on to Philadelphia. A replacement aircraft was ready to be sent from New York last night to collect the passengers and take them on to Philadelphia if required.