Passengers had to use the evacuation slides to flee a Ryanair plane after cabin crew spotted smoke in the cabin.
Staff onboard the flight leaving Krakow in Poland for Bristol, sounded the alarm after noticing smoke coming from the rear galley.
Pictures of the plane showed passengers sliding down the inflatable escape route onto the landing strip.
The aircraft operating the flight was a brand new Boeing 737 MAX 200.
According to Airfleets, it had been delivered to the airline less than two weeks ago on September 30.
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A spokesperson for Krakow airport said that the cause of the evacuation was still under investigation.
‘The passengers were transported back to the terminal, and the aircraft is being checked by the services. Traffic at the airport is normal’, a statement said.
‘The plane stopped on the tarmac, it does not block traffic. The flight to Bristol is heavily delayed, the carrier will decide whether it will be necessary to substitute another plane.’
In a statement to Metro, Ryanair said passengers were later taken to Bristol on a replacement aircraft, following a delay of more than four hours.
‘Ryanair Flight FR5519 from Krakow to Bristol was delayed this morning due to the appearance of smoke from the rear galley’, a spokesperson said.
‘In the interest of safety, passengers were disembarked on the taxiway and returned to the terminal.
‘A replacement aircraft was routed to Krakow to take passengers onto Bristol with a delay of approximately 4 hours 10 mins, for which we apologise sincerely.’
The incident comes as the UK’s Air Accident Investigation Branch is investigating the Irish low-cost carrier after one of its flights reportedly came within minutes of running out of fuel this week.
The flight, which had been forced to divert from Prestwick in Scotland due to inclement weather caused by Storm Amy, landed at Manchester Airport with just six minutes worth of fuel left in the tank.
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