Delta Air Lines plane evacuated in Orlando before takeoff due to engine fire

Edgar Alejandro Moreno Alarcón 

Orlando International Airport, Florida, reported that the engine of Delta Air Lines airline flight 1213 caught fire on the runway before taking off.

In a brief statement, representatives of this US air terminal said the incident occurred around 11:06 a.m. local time in the ramp area.

The fire caused the passengers to be evacuated from the plane and the safety protocols were activated.

"The aircraft rescue and firefighting team responded promptly," the Orlando airport said.

On social networks they reported that a column of black smoke came out accompanied by flames that went beyond the side of the plane, which was parked on the ground in front of the boarding bridge.

Terminal users at the time of witnessing the incident expressed their dismay when they witnessed through the glass how the passenger plane caught fire.

The FAA said it will investigate the incident. Several recent air safety incidents in the United States have raised concern.

Delta reported that 282 passengers and 12 crew members were traveling on flight 1213 and that no injuries were reported from the incident. The crew "followed procedures to evacuate the passenger cabin when flames were observed in the exhaust pipe of one of the aircraft's two engines," he said.

Airbus did not immediately comment.

Delta Air Lines planes have recently reported other incidents such as the one that occurred on March 7 when one of their aircraft had to make an emergency landing due to an alleged technical failure at Mexico City International Airport (AICM).

And another on February 24 in Atlanta, Georgia, when the passengers of the Delta plane at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport had to be evacuated due to a cloud of smoke that occurred inside the aircraft.