A United Airlines plane bound for Detroit was diverted back to Newark Liberty International Airport when a fire broke out in the plane’s cabin shortly after takeoff
Flight 3439 took off from the New Jersey airport on Wednesday around 4:30 p.m. ABC-7 reported.
The plane was then forced to turn back when smoke began to fill the plane, landing back in Newark around 5 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Detroit-bound flight departed Newark Liberty Airport at 4:30 p.m. and landed again about 30 minutes later
The plane deployed its parachutes so the passengers could disembark and they were taken by bus to the terminal. No injuries have been reported.
The airport has posted an update online acknowledging the incident and advising passengers that flights may be affected.
‘Your flight may be affected by PAPD activity at #EWR. Please contact your airline for flight status,” it said.
On average, flights were delayed by about an hour due to the emergency landing NorthJersey.com.
The New Jersey airport was closed for about an hour after the incident.
The Embraer E170 flew to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport before returning to Newark.
United Airlines Flight 3439 had to be evacuated on Wednesday evening after a fire broke out in the cabin (stock image)
In a statement, the Port Authority wrote: ‘Passengers disembarked and were transported to Terminal C.
“The FAA temporarily suspended flight operations during that time. At 5:55 p.m., the airspace was reopened and flying activities resumed. United will provide further details.”
The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed and the airline says they are trying to rebook passengers’ flights as quickly as possible.
DailyMail.com has contacted United Airlines and the flight’s operator, Republic Airways, for comment.