Friday afternoon, 130 Icelandic rescue workers were called out because of a passenger jet, which was experiencing engine trouble. The pilot had sent out a distress signal shortly before 11 am, indicating that the left engine had inadequate power.
The Westjet plane, a Boeing 767, was on its way from London to Edmonton, Canada. There were 258 passengers on board, RÚV reports.
The plane, which was diverted to Keflavík International Airport, circled for up to two hours near Keflavík in an effort to burn fuel. It successfully landed in Keflavík. No injuries were reported.
The passengers spent one night at an Icelandic hotel, and the following day, the airline sent two planes to fly them to their destinations. Some went to Edmonton, others to Calgary.
Upon arriving in Canada, some of the passengers were interviewed by globalnews.ca. Passenger Joanna Palczewska stated that while beverages were being served, she heard what sounded like a small explosion in one of the engines. „It was terrible. Very, very scary,” she exclaimed.
She praised the crew for responding in a professional manner. “They had a scary look between each other and you could see and hear that something is going wrong.” She added, “They were trying to be calm. Everything was prepared for us when we arrived, fire trucks, police and Iceland Red Cross.”
