A flight from England to the United States diverted to Dublin Airport this afternoon after the crew reported an engine issue over the North Atlantic.
Delta Air Lines flight DL-59 departed London’s Heathrow airport at around 10.18am bound for Boston Logan International Airport.
The Airbus A330-941 jet was about 450 kilometres west of the Ireland when the incident occurred. There were 275 passengers and crew on board.
The flight crew reported an issue with one of the jet’s two engines confirming that it was still working but it had pulled back to idle. The pilot requested clearance to divert to Dublin Airport.
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The crew also asked that emergency services be alerted and standing for them on arrival at Dublin. Full emergency procedures were put in place after the alarm was raised at around midday.
Dublin Airport’s Fire and Rescue Service was alerted while Dublin Fire Brigade crews from several stations including Finglas, Phibsboro, Kilbarrack and Balbriggan were dispatched to the airport along with National Ambulance Service resources and gardaí.
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The flight landed safely at 12.54pm and was pursued along the runway by airport fire crews. The jet stopped on a taxiway so that fire personnel could carry out an external inspection of the aircraft. Fire crews reported a “small bit of smoke from the engine” but otherwise “all appeared normal”.
The flight crew confirmed that temperatures in the jet’s braking system were within limits and that they were happy to taxi to their parking stand. The crew had earlier confirmed that they would be making an overweight landing which can result in brakes overheating or catching fire.
The jet was escorted to the terminal accompanied by rescue vehicles.
“DAA can confirm that Delta flight DL59, on its way from London Heathrow to Boston, landed safely at Dublin Airport shortly before 1pm after requesting to divert to Dublin due to an engine issue. Passengers will be accommodated on alternative flights,” Graeme McQueen, head of media relations at DAA, the operator of Dublin Airport, said.
The flight has since been cancelled. A comment is awaited from the airline.
