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A Ryanair aircraft began spewing out smoke shortly after landing at the Region of Murcia International Airport on Saturday morning, May 9, triggering the airport’s emergency plan and prompting a rapid response from on-site firefighters.

 

The plane, which had arrived from London Luton Airport at around 10.30am, had already disembarked all its passengers without incident when smoke began pouring from the front of the aircraft, according to sources close to the investigation.

 

Witnesses reported seeing smoke – and some witness even claimed flames – coming from the area around the cockpit windscreen, near the nose of the Ryanair jet. The aircraft had reportedly been parked on the runway for around 20 to 30 minutes when the fire broke out.

 

A statement from Ryanair read, “After flight FR3452 arrived in Murcia... from Luton and the passengers had disembarked, the crew reported an overheating issue with one of the cockpit windows. The crew disembarked from the aircraft as normal and the aircraft was taken out of service for inspection by Ryanair engineers.”

 

Airport firefighters moved quickly to contain the blaze before it could spread further. Three fire engines and an off-road emergency vehicle surrounded the aircraft, which was still parked just metres from another Ryanair plane with its boarding ladder extended.

 

Thanks to the swift intervention of Ryanair staff and the airport’s own on-site emergency crews, the fire was rapidly brought under control and no injuries were reported. Ambulances and external emergency services were not required, as all passengers were already safely inside the terminal by the time the incident unfolded.

 

According to sources close to the case, the pilot had already noticed a rise in temperature while the plane was still in flight from the UK. After landing, the overheating issue is believed to have worsened, eventually leading to the presence of smoke.

 

The aircraft had been due to depart again for Luton at 11.10am, but that was obviously not possible, so Ryanair offered passengers a different solution to travel to London.

 

“To minimise disruption to passengers travelling on the return flight from Murcia to Luton, a replacement aircraft was arranged from Milan Bergamo to operate this flight,” they said.

 

The damaged plane remains grounded at Murcia airport while Ryanair mechanics and specialist engineers carry out a detailed inspection to determine the exact cause of the fire.

 

The incident also served as a real-life test of the airport’s emergency preparedness just two months after a major aviation drill at Corvera simulated a Boeing 738 crash involving 125 people.

 

Corvera Airport permanently stations four firefighters and a crew chief on site, along with three fire engines and specialist emergency vehicles. Airport sources said the professionalism and speed of the response prevented what could have become a far more serious situation.

 

 

Image: RukiMedia