The plane carrying Arsenal women’s team back to London after their Champions League semi-final first leg in Wolfsburg burst into flames after a bird flew into one of the engines. The team had secured a 2-2 draw against the reigning champions of the Frauen-Bundesliga, VfL Wolfsburg, on Sunday, and were travelling back to London when the incident occurred at Germany’s Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport.
The Boeing 737, operated by a Maltese airline, made a loud bang just before taking off on Sunday, and passengers were quickly evacuated after the plane was stopped by pilots. Photos from the scene show flames shooting from the engine.
An airport spokesman reported that a bird strike had caused the fire, but fortunately no one was injured during the incident. The Arsenal team and staff were put up in a nearby hotel for the night before safely flying back to London on a replacement plane the following day.
Despite suffering injuries to key players Kim Little and Leah Williamson in the lead-up to their European clash, the Arsenal team showed resilience in their resounding comeback draw against VfL Wolfsburg. With the tie now level, the Women’s Super League side will fancy their chances of reaching their first European final since 2007 when they face Wolfsburg again in the second leg at home on May 1.
The Maltese airline uses Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport as the home base for its own airline fleet operated under the Volkswagen Air Services brand.
