JEDDAH: Passengers on an EgyptAir aircraft waiting to take off at King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) were evacuated due to a suspected fire on Wednesday evening.
The Boeing 777 flight 607 was scheduled to fly to Cairo with 320 passengers when a burning smell came from the rear of the aircraft.
“On sensing the smell of something burning in the rear of the craft all passengers were taken off and an investigation team was dispatched,” said Director General of KAIA Mazin Khashoggi.
“Firefighters were also kept on the ready. Although it initially smelled like some electrical wires were burning, nothing has yet been confirmed. Investigations are ongoing,” he added. Khashoggi said the smell was the strongest in the back of the plane.
A source at EgyptAir’s KAIA office confirmed the report. “A team of our expert engineers is currently examining the aircraft to ascertain the source of the smoke. All passengers were sent to the departure lounge. All of the passengers are in good condition and none of them experienced any difficulty,” he said.
