Arsenal team plane bursts into flames on runway as pilot forced to abandon take off after terrifying engine blaze
A PLANE carrying the Arsenal women’s team back to London after a Champions League match burst into flames.
Photos show flames shooting from one of the Boeing 737’s engines on the runway at Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport in Germany.
The 7.30pm flight was due to take off just a few hours after Arsenal secured a 2-2 draw against VfL Wolfsburg in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final.
Witnesses say the plane – reportedly from a Maltese airline – was rocked with a loud bang just before it was about to take off last night.
Horrified pilots saw the blaze and quickly pulled the plane up on the tarmac and evacuated the passengers.
An airport spokesman told German newspaper BILD a bird strike on the engine had caused the fire.
The airport official added that nobody was hurt during the incident.
The team and Arsenal staff were put up in a nearby hotel before they were flown back to London earlier today on a replacement plane.
The airport is jointly owned by the car manufacturer Volkswagen Group which is based in Wolfsburg.
The company uses the airfield as the home base for their own airline fleet operated under the Volkswagen Air Services brand.
Arsenal managed to claw back a 2-2 draw over Wolfsburg after conceding twice in the first 25 minutes.
It sets up a key clash for the Gunners next Monday as they play the second leg at home at the Emirates Stadium in London.
They could be propelled into the Women’s Champions League Final against either London rivals Chelsea or Spanish giants Barcelona.
Barcelona hold a 1-0 aggregate lead over Chelsea after beating them on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues travel to Camp Nou on Thursday to settle the tie.
Arsenal last won the competition back in the 06/07 season – when it was known as the UEFA Women’s Cup.
And that win is the last time an English club claimed victory in the tournament, which has existed since 01/02.
Barcelona won the title in 20/21, but French side Lyon are the competition’s masters – having won the trophy eight times since 10/11.
Olympique however crashed out of these year’s competition in the quarters final as they were beaten on penalties by Chelsea.
In a statement, a spokesman for Arsenal said: “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.”