A British Airways flight has been cancelled after a mysterious smell caused “pandemonium” and emergency services rushed to the jet to provide assistance.
Passengers and crew members were left feeling sick as the stench spread around the Boeing 777 jet.
Hundreds of passengers on the BA116 service were about to depart from JFK Airport before the transatlantic flight was axed just before take-off.
However, passengers onboard the outbound flight from Heathrow first caught a whiff of the pungent odour.
British Airways | PAThe smell reportedly made some passengers and cabin crew feel sick.
A source told The Sun: "A distinctive smell was detected on the outbound flight from behind a canister.
“An area of the plane had to be monitored at 30,000ft.
"Police and the fire crew came onboard to investigate in New York but couldn’t detect any harmful fumes, just the odd smell.
A British Airways plane takes off from Heathrow Airport | PA"It was a huge worry because some crew had reacted with headaches, itchy eyes, and reported a metal taste in their mouth.”
The insider confirmed that passengers disembarked the plane while waiting at the JFK Airport at the last-minute.
They were then rebooked onto later flights.
The source added: “It was pandemonium and no-one knew what was happening.”
British Airways flight BA001 (left runway) and Virgin Atlantic flight VS3 (right runway) prepare to perform a synchronised departure on parallel runways at London Heathrow Airport
|PA
The disruption has had enormous repercussions for British Airways, including sending home the cabin crew.
BA said: "The safety of our customers and crew is always our priority and will never be compromised.
"We apologised to our customers for the inconvenience caused and offered an alternative flight or a full refund."
BA engineers were reportedly tasked with investigating the aircraft following the cancellation.