Mid-air drama as TAP flight to London makes emergency landing in Porto
Smoke alert forces emergency touchdown
Eleven passengers were hurt after a TAP Air Portugal flight bound for London Heathrow was forced into an emergency landing in Porto. The drama unfolded around 4.45pm on Tuesday, March 11, when smoke was detected onboard the Lisbon to London flight.
The Airbus, carrying 194 passengers, diverted mid-air and safely landed at Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport just after 5pm, avoiding what could have been a disaster.
Passengers treated for smoke inhalation
Portuguese media report nine passengers were rushed to hospital for smoke inhalation, while two others received urgent care close to the plane. Portuguese Civil Protection officials said:
“There are 194 passengers on board and crew and passengers are in need of urgent medical assistance.”
Emergency services respond in force
About 57 emergency responders and 15 vehicles from the fire service, Red Cross, and police swarmed the scene to assist. Flight data showed the plane made a sudden course change an hour into the journey, circling over western Spain before heading north to Porto.
Flight resumes after technical fix
A TAP Air Portugal spokesperson confirmed a “technical issue” caused the smoke alert but reassured the public that the aircraft landed safely. Passengers were switched to another plane, which finally left Porto at 9pm and touched down at London Heathrow later that evening.
Investigations into what caused the smoke alarm to trigger remain ongoing.
