Aer Lingus flight evacuated before take-off after smoke alert

Passengers on a flight to Italy were evacuated before take-off at Dublin airport yesterday after smoke was discovered in the cockpit.

Some 61 passengers and six crew were evacuated via the aircraft's emergency chutes.

A crew member was slightly injured, damaging her foot when she reached the end of the chute. Nobody else was hurt.

Aer Lingus had yet to identify the cause of the incident yesterday evening. One line of inquiry is that the smoke came from machinery which was attached to the aircraft while it was parked at a departure gate.

The flight, EI 432 to Milan, had been waiting off the runway when the pilot reported smoke in the cabin and ordered an emergency evacuation of the plane at 7.55 am. The one-year-old A320 aircraft had been parked there for more than half an hour, awaiting clearance for take-off after a delay due to poor weather in Milan.

A spokesman for Aer Lingus stressed that no fire had been involved, adding that it was the first incident of its type for the airline.

All passengers but one departed for Milan on a replacement aircraft at 10.10 am. The passenger who did not travel had missed a business appointment because of the delay.

As well as an internal investigation, the incident will be subject to an inquiry by the Department of Transport's air accident investigation unit.