A Ryanair aircraft preparing to depart from Krakow, Poland, to Bristol, England, was evacuated after smoke was detected in the cabin.
Following a report from the cabin crew that smoke had been seen in the aircraft’s rear galley, emergency procedures were activated on the Boeing 737 MAX 200. Under the direction of the flight attendants, passengers were safely evacuated using the emergency slides. Footage from the scene shows passengers sliding down the inflated chutes onto the tarmac.
The aircraft operating the flight was a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 200 that had joined the Ryanair fleet on 30 September. According to Airfleets data, the aircraft entered service just two weeks after delivery.
A spokesperson for Krakow Airport stated that investigations into the source of the smoke were ongoing, adding: “Passengers have been taken back to the terminal, and the aircraft is being thoroughly inspected by maintenance teams. Airport operations continue as normal.”
Authorities reported that there were no disruptions to runway traffic following the incident, and the Bristol flight was completed with a replacement aircraft after a delay of approximately four hours. In a statement, Ryanair said: “For safety reasons, passengers were escorted to the taxiway and taken back to the terminal. The Bristol flight was operated by a replacement aircraft with a delay of around 4 hours and 10 minutes. We sincerely apologise to our passengers for the delay.”
This incident occurred shortly after the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) launched a separate investigation into Ryanair. Last week, one of the airline’s aircraft was forced to land at Manchester Airport with just six minutes of fuel remaining after severe weather conditions caused by “Storm Amy.”
