A flight from France to the United States diverted to Shannon Airport this evening after the crew declared an emergency, reporting they had shut down one of their aircraft’s two engines.
United flight UA-331 was travelling from Paris to Washington at the time. There were 96 passengers and crew on board.
The Boeing 767-300 jet was about 200 kilometres west of Loop Head in Clare when the crew turned around, routing northeast over Co Galway initially before turning again and commencing their approach to Shannon.
The flight crew had confirmed to air traffic controllers that they had shut down their No. 2 engine. Once controllers were advised of the nature of the emergency, airport authorities were notified of the unscheduled arrival while the emergency services were also alerted.
Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon station were mobilised to the airport while Limerick City Fire and Rescue Service was also requested to deploy an appliance until fire crews from Ennis became available. At the time, they were dealing with a road traffic collision in Ennis.
The National Ambulance Service also deployed resources to the airport while Gardaí were also alerted.
The flight landed safely at 6.38pm and pursued along the runway by fire crews who also accompanied the jet to the terminal where ground crews were standing by.
According to United’s website, the flight diverted to Shannon for an ‘aircraft maintenance inspection.’
The flight was later cancelled. It’s understood that passengers will be accommodated in hotels overnight and that a replacement aircraft will be flown to Shannon tomorrow to complete the flight.
