On Sunday evening, a plane carrying the Arsenal women’s team back from their Champions League semi-final first leg against Wolfsburg erupted into flames on the runway.
The incident happened at the Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport when, just before takeoff, a bird flew into the engine, creating a loud noise.
The Boeing 737’s left engine instantly began to spew flames, and the pilots on board moved swiftly to remove the passengers, which included Arsenal’s first team squad, to safety.
Arsenal have since released a statement confirming they returned home safely this morning.
The statement read: ‘Our aircraft developed a technical issue prior to take-off in Germany on Sunday evening.
‘As a result, we remained in Wolfsburg overnight on Sunday before flying back to England on Monday afternoon. We would like to thank the staff onboard the aircraft and on the ground at the airport for their assistance.’
The team used a Maltese airline to fly to Germany on Saturday, and were due to fly back with the same airline the following evening.
Trending Stories: Tottenham Sack Interim Coach Christian Stellini, After Humiliating 6-1 Defeat At Newcastle United
However, after the engine caught fire, they were forced to switch to a replacement airline to get back to England on Monday morning.
Following their return from Germany, Arsenal can now look forward to trying to seal their place in this year’s Champions League final after fighting back to earn a 2-2 draw in Sunday’s first leg.
The return leg against Wolfsburg takes place next Monday at the Emirates Stadium.
COMMENTS