168 passengers safe after unscheduled landing in Tenerife

Some 168 passengers arrived back in Dublin Airport yesterday morning after their aircraft had to abort its journey in Tenerife following engine trouble.

The Boeing 737, which was taking 171 passengers from Las Palmas to Dublin, developed engine trouble at 21,000 feet. Passengers said they heard a series of bangs, sparks and explosive sounds 15 minutes after take-off.

The aircraft circled for over an hour before touching down in Tenerife. Two passengers, one with an infant, refused to return to Dublin on another Boeing 737 that was provided.

Passengers were never in any serious danger, according to Futura International Airlines.

Mr Declan Conroy, Futura and Aer Lingus spokesman, said the problem was a "relatively routine incident from a technical and safety point of view and never posed serious danger to the 170 passengers on board." However, he acknowledged the trauma caused to the passengers and said Futura did not wish to underplay this in any way.

The problems started when the 10-year-old aircraft was at 21,000 feet. A light in the cockpit indicated that the number two engine was overheating. "After checking with the maintenance base in Tenerife and comparing notes, they decided to return to Tenerife," Mr Conroy said.

The aircraft circled for 1 1/2 hours to get rid of its fuel before landing. That showed how uncritical the situation was, according to Mr Conroy, who said the aircraft could have landed immediately if the problem was serious.

"It was such a routine landing that the plane was not met by the emergency services. The number two engine was not shut down at any stage." The engine was taken back to Dublin last night for overhaul work by Lufthansa Airmotive. Futura is 85 per cent owned by Aer Lingus and maintenance on its aircraft is carried out by FLS Aerospace, while Lufthansa Airmotive carries out the engine work.

Mr Conroy said Futura regretted the lack of communication between Futura and Panorama Holidays, which led to the passengers being left alone for four hours when they came off the flight. He said Futura had contacted Panorama during the flight but Panorama said they became aware of the problem only after the aircraft touched down.

When Panorama said the passengers would be flown back on the repaired aircraft, they objected and eventually a one-year-old Boeing 737 was located.

Some passengers also objected to flying on another Futura aircraft but were told that it was their only alternative. Meanwhile, any suggestions that charter flights are less safe than scheduled flights were emphatically denied by aviation experts.

"No way, there's not a scintilla of truth in that," said a spokesman for the Irish Aviation Authority. "The safety checks on charter flights are every bit as rigorous as the checks on scheduled aircraft. Remember that an aircraft that carries a charter flight in the morning could be carrying a scheduled flight in the evening."

Speaking for Futura, Mr Conroy said Aer Lingus was more than confident with the safety standard of Futura aircraft. "This is the most regulated business in the world," he said.

Air Claims, a British company which assesses claims from air travellers, said there was absolutely no evidence to suggest that there were more accidents on charter flights.

"That may have been the case 30 or 40 years ago, but aircraft used for charter flights are as good, if not better, than some scheduled craft," Mr Paul Hayes of Air Claims said.