A JetBlue Airbus A321 bound for California aborted takeoff on the John F. Kennedy Airport runway on Saturday after reports of a fire aboard, the New York Post reported. As per the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft was in the process of departing at approximately 8:30 p.m. when the crew alerted the control tower to the issue.
The crew promptly contacted the control tower to raise an alarm about their situation and all 180 passengers were evacuated. However, when Port Authority firefighters and rescuers responded to the scene, they found no fire.
''The aircraft taxied safely to the terminal and passengers were deplaned. The aircraft will be reviewed by the airline's maintenance team,'' Port Authority spokeswoman Lenis Valens.
The FAA later identified the problem on the Airbus 321 as an ''engine problem,'' but provided no further details. Later, the maintenance team of JetBlue came to check the issue, which seemed to be resolved after a few hours. The plane finally departed at 12:10 a.m., five hours after it was initially scheduled to take off, said FlightAware.
The FAA is currently investigating the incident.
The incident comes days after an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 9 MAX faced an emergency on January 6 after one of its doors blew open mid-air. The door plug tore off the left side of the following takeoff from Portland, Oregon, en route to Ontario, California, forcing pilots to turn back and land safely with all 171 passengers and six crew on board.
Images posted on social media showed a gaping hole where the side panel had blown out, with emergency oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling. Meanwhile, airlines and safety bodies around the world grounded some versions of the Boeing 737 MAX 9 jets pending inspections, with dozens of flights cancelled after the incident.
The FAA has grounded 171 Boeing 737 Max 9 planes ''until operators complete enhanced inspections which include both left and right cabin door exit plugs, door components, and fasteners.''
