An Air Canada Boeing 767 aircraft was returning to Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport for an emergency landing on Monday after reporting a “technical issue,” Spanish airport operator AENA said.
A spokesperson from Air Canada told Global News in a statement that Flight AC837 was returning from Madrid to Toronto with 128 passengers on board when it experienced an engine issue shortly after leaving the ground.
They said one of the aircraft’s 10 tires ruptured on take-off, prompting an emergency landing.
“The aircraft opted to return to Madrid and is currently circling to use up fuel and lighten the aircraft for landing,” the statement read.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: Lagos govt inaugurates incident command system
Spanish pilots union SEPLA said on Twitter that part of the plane’s landing gear had fallen off and gone into one of the engines.
The incident occurred just hours after a drone sighting near the takeoff area caused a brief disruption at the airport, with 26 flights diverted away from Barajas.
The Canadian airliner called air traffic control 30 minutes after takeoff and requested a slot for an emergency landing, an AENA spokeswoman said.
She was unable to provide further details or say whether the incident was in any way related to the previous shutdown.
Emergency services in Madrid said on Twitter they were coordinating with the airport, and that troops were deployed in the surrounding area as a precaution.
and then