News: Flybe fumes leak scare
Flights > News > # 1576 (14/11/2007)
A Flybe plane was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after take-off when fumes began leaking into the cabin.
Passengers on board the BE7125 flight from Birmingham International to Stuttgart in Germany complained of an "unpleasant odour" and "high temperatures".
As a precaution the plane landed back at Birmingham International just 15 minutes after taking off. The 24 passengers were ferried off the aircraft and sent back into the departures lounge where they had to wait a few hours for the next Flybe service to Stuttgart.
Officials at the no-frills airline are now investigating the incident, which happened at 1.35pm yesterday (November 13) afternoon.
It is the third time this year that fumes have leaked into the cabin on Flybe flights from Birmingham. The two previous leaks were on the Birmingham to Belfast route.
On the first incident in February, the crew had to put on oxygen masks and turn back after fumes wafted into the cabin 15 minutes after take-off.
And in July two stewardesses collapsed after being overcome by fumes and all seven crew members had to be taken to hospital on landing.
Some crew members were so alarmed by that incident on the Flybe's BAe 146 planes that they threatened to boycott them. Staff have claimed that in addition to the three reported leaks, there have been seven other similar incidents in the last 15 months.
A Flybe spokeswoman apologised to passengers for Tuesday's incident.
She said: "The Flybe flight BE7125 from Birmingham to Stuttgart returned from airborne after an unpleasant odour and high temperatures were reported in the cabin.
"The aircraft landed without incident in Birmingham at 1.35pm on Tuesday afternoon and all 24 passengers disembarked without incident. Passengers were then transferred on to the BE7127 which departed Birmingham for Stuttgart at 5pm that evening.
"The safety of our passengers is of the utmost importance to Flybe and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to their journey this afternoon."
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