Date Published: 04/02/2020
ARCHIVED - High drama at Madrid airport as Air Canada jet completes emergency landing
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
An eventful day at Barajas began with a drone scare closing air space at the airport
Four and a half hours of high drama and nail-biting tension ended with considerable relief at Madrid-Barajas airport on Monday evening, as an Air Canada aircraft which took off for Toronto at 14.33 was forced to circle the Spanish capital shedding fuel before successfully completing an emergency landing at 19.06. No injuries have been reported among the 128 people on board.
For some passengers the first time they were aware that something was amiss was when they looked out of the window and were able to see people walking along the streets of the centre of Madrid, indicating that the plane was flying far too low. It transpired that one of the tyres had suffered a puncture on take-off and the problems had been compounded by rubber having been sucked into the engine on the left wing, and the pilot realized almost immediately that the aircraft was not going to be crossing the Atlantic as planned.
Urging the passengers to remain calm and patient, the pilot and crew then circled above the city during the afternoon shedding fuel in order to make the plane as light as possible and reduce the risk of fire on landing, while down on the ground a huge security operation unfurled as the relevant protocols were activated. However, in the end the emergency landing was effected perfectly on the longest runway available at Barajas, and the EMAS emergency braking system at the end of the runway was not called into action.
An hour previously two Spanish air force pilots had responded to the Air Canada pilot’s request for the damage to the jet to be inspected in the air, and passengers were treated to the sight of an F-18 fighter jet flying alongside them as close as possible. The fighter pilots reported that the damage appeared to be limited and that the passenger plane was flying in a stable fashion.
This was the second emergency protocol of the day to be activated at the busiest airport in Spain: earlier in the day air space was closed after a drone scare, and as a result the Toronto flight was delayed from its scheduled departure time of 12.55. For the passengers and crew, a long day of waiting and anxiety ended with them back where they had started but safe and sound.
Many of them have paid special tribute to the pilot for the way in which he helped them to maintain their calm, informing them frequently of the situation without over-exaggerating its seriousness: when they finally touched down he responded to their applause with the comment “Welcome to Barcelona”!
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