Paris: An Air France A380 passenger jet travelling from Paris to Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing on Saturday in eastern Canada following “serious damage” to one of its four engines, the airline said.
“Flight 066 landed without further damage at the Goose Bay military airport in Canada and all of the 520 people on board were evacuated with no injuries,” an Air France spokesman in Paris told AFP.
Air France says flight AF 066 suffered serious engine damage https://t.co/oAHUs8TzTQ
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) September 30, 2017
Air France 066 has landed safe at #YYR after declaring mayday. Reports of engine fire and flaps and engine cowling missing #cbcnl
— Peter Cowan (@PeterCBC) September 30, 2017
Passenger Miguel Amador (@theamadoor) reported Flight AF66's engine failure occured over the Atlantic Ocean, possibly due to a bird strike.
Engine failure halfway over the Atlantic Ocean #airfrance #airfrance66 #AF66 #birdstrike possibly pic.twitter.com/ETAFw2WIDR
— miguel.amador_ (@theamadoor) September 30, 2017
Another passenger, Rick Engebretsen, reported a loud thud mid-flight. He later posted pictures he took with his phone camera showing the damaged outer right engine.
We landed safely. Loud thud in mid flight.
— Rick Engebretsen (@RickEngebretsen) September 30, 2017
A fellow passenger, Iskandar, tweeted that the AF66 passengers "have a memory of their flight which will last a long time".
DIVERSION
— Tom Podolec (@TomPodolec) September 30, 2017
Mayday declared...
Air France #AF66
Paris to Los Angeles
Diverting to Goose Bay with mechanical issues.https://t.co/3UXZPhI3Ty pic.twitter.com/z9O6Zdbvfb
Air France operates 10 Airbus A380s, which are the largest passenger planes in the world.
Their version of the craft uses GP7200 engines, a giant turbofan built by General Electric and Pratt and Whitney of the US.
Inflight pictures. Loud thud and a lot of vibration. pic.twitter.com/s9GFIyssrh
— Rick Engebretsen (@RickEngebretsen) September 30, 2017
Goose Bay, where AF66 made an emergency landing, is a base operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force but is also a designated standby airport for diverted transatlantic flights.
Sales of the mammoth A380 have been sluggish and Airbus has said it will reduce production in 2019 to just eight of the superjumbos.
In 2015 the company produced 27 of them.
Nonetheless, Airbus CEO Tom Enders recently voiced confidence in the future of the plane.