An easyJet flight was forced into an emergency landing after one of its engines caught fire while the aircraft was in the air over Italy, with passengers on board.
Mid-Air Emergency Over Italy
The incident occurred on Thursday, 27 December, involving easyJet flight U2-3557 (EJU3557). The Airbus A320-200 was operating its scheduled route from Milan Malpensa Airport to Lamezia Terme in southern Italy. The flight proceeded normally until it began its descent for landing.
During the landing phase, the aircraft's right engine suffered a catastrophic failure. According to reports from the Aviation Herald, the engine 'emitted flames' in what is described as an 'uncontained' engine failure. This serious classification indicates that debris from the engine's internal rotating components broke through the protective outer casing.
Crew Action and Safe Landing
The flight crew immediately followed emergency procedures. They successfully shut down the malfunctioning engine and maintained full control of the aircraft. The pilots executed a safe landing on the runway at Lamezia Terme Airport at 9:52 am local time, a mere two minutes behind its scheduled arrival.
All passengers and crew members disembarked safely and no injuries were reported. Video footage of the incident, later shared on social media by the page Aviation-knowledge, clearly showed disintegrated engine debris. Emergency services met the aircraft on the tarmac as a precautionary measure.
Aircraft Grounded for Investigation and Repair
The affected aircraft, a 10-year-old Airbus A320-200, remained out of service for six days following the incident. During this time, it underwent a comprehensive inspection. The damaged engine was replaced and necessary repairs were completed before the jet was cleared to return to operational service.
In a statement to AeroXplorer, an easyJet spokesperson confirmed the event: 'EasyJet can confirm that flight EJU3557 from Milan to Lamezia Terme on 27 December was met by emergency services on arrival as a precaution following a technical issue with one of the aircraft's engines. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers disembarked normally.'
This incident follows another easyJet diversion last month, where a flight from Manchester to Reykjavik was forced to land in Edinburgh due to adverse weather conditions on 28 December.
