EasyJet plane grounded after engine catches fire mid-flight

Flight U2-3557 had been operating completely normally, with the aircraft cruising at 37,000 feet on its journey south through Italy - until the descent phase began.

The pilots had to act swiftly after spotting the right-hand engine started emitting flames.

Immediately, they shut down the CFM56 power plant, following standard emergency procedures.

The engine failure has since been classified as uncontained, which aviation experts consider a particularly serious type of incident.

Rather than rushing straight to the runway, the crew entered a holding pattern while descending from 6,000 to 3,000 feet, giving them time to work through their engine failure checklists.

The aircraft touched down safely at Lamezia Terme at 9:52am local time, approximately 23 minutes after the engine trouble began.

Remarkably, this was just two minutes behind the scheduled arrival time.

All passengers and crew members exited the aircraft without any injuries, with emergency services waiting on the ground as a precaution.

The plane sat on the tarmac at Lamezia Terme for six days over the New Year period while engineers carried out a thorough inspection, replacement work, and repairs.

On January 3, the aircraft flew back to Milan Malpensa without passengers, and it returned to regular service the following day on routes between Milan and Palermo.

The aircraft at the centre of the incident is a decade-old Airbus A320-200 with registration OE-IVZ, powered by CFM International CFM56-5B engines, which are known for their reliability.

Originally delivered to easyJet UK in February 2015, the plane was transferred to easyJet Europe in April 2018. It can carry up to 186 passengers in an all-economy layout.

Though the aircraft hadn't experienced an uncontaminated engine failure - considered rare and serious in aviation circles - in its 10-year existence.

It occurs when high-energy debris from the engine's internal rotating parts breaks through the outer protective cowling, rather than being safely contained within the engine casing.

Facebook group "Aviation-Knowledge" showed a video of the jet, that had been "disintegrated", indicating the "failure to be severe in nature."

An easyJet spokesman said: "Flight EJU3557 from Milan Malpensa to Lamezia on 27 December requested a priority landing due to a technical issue.

"The captain performed a routine landing in line with procedures and the aircraft was met by emergency services at Lamezia as a precaution only.

"The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' guidelines."

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