In the last few moments, TAP Air Portugal flight #TP217 from Lisbon to Boston has declared an emergency over the Atlantic Ocean.
CS-TXE is the aircraft involved in the incident.
Follow the incident live below…
Live Emergency: TAP #TP217 Lisbon-Boston…
UPDATE #1 @ 1546 UK time – The aircraft made a u-turn over the Atlantic Ocean and looks to be heading towards the Lajes area.
UPDATE #2 @ 1552 UK time – CS-TXE is the aircraft involved in the incident.
As per Planespotters, CS-TXE is a 6.4 year old Airbus A321neo that was delivered to the airline back in June 2020.
Of the A321neo variant, TAP Air Portugal has 26 of them in their fleet.
Moreover, of the 26, 24 are in active service, and 2 are parked, with an average age of 5.6 years.
As well as the A321neo, the airline has the following other aircraft in their fleet:
- 3 Airbus A319s.
- 33 Airbus A320s.
- 3 Airbus A321ceos.
- 22 Airbus A330s.
- 19 Embraer E190s.
In total, the airline has 106 aircraft in their fleet, of which 102 are in active service, and four are parked, with an average fleet age of 10.8 years.
UPDATE #3 @ 1555 UK time – TAP Flight #TP217 from Lisbon to Boston is continuing to divert to Lajes with an emergency onboard.
From the data provided by Flightradar24, the aircraft’s first descent was from FL340 to FL250.
The reason is not yet known currently.
UPDATE #4 @ 1600 UK time – #TP217 has started descending towards Lajes from FL250 downwards.
The aircraft is still squawking the 7700 General Emergency code.
UPDATE #5 @ 1604 UK time – Diversion field confirmed to Terceira Lajes Airport.
UPDATE #6 @ 1607 UK time – #TP217 is on the downwind leg, preparing for it’s emergency landing into Lajes.
Reason for the emergency is still unknown at this time.
UPDATE #7 @ 1610 UK time – The aircraft is on the base leg for approach into Lajes.
Emergency landing imminent.
UPDATE #8 @ 1612 UK time – #TP217 is now on final approach for emergency landing into Lajes.
It is unclear whether the aircraft will be met by emergency crews or not.
UPDATE #9 @ 1617 UK time – TOUCHDOWN!
TAP Air Portugal flight TP217 from Lisbon to Boston, has appeared to have touched down safely into Lajes following the emergency call.
As soon as we have more information on the cause, we will update you accordingly.
This remains a developing story. Stay tuned.
UPDATE #10 @ 1831 UK time – As per @cpt340 on X, it has been reported that a potential fire onboard was the cause of the emergency.
UPDATE #11 @ 2151 UK time – More additional context on the incident:
Translated:
“The Airbus A321 from TAP that made an emergency landing at Lajes is said to have already taken off for its final destination, Boston, following a safety inspection.”
“Local sources confirm that there was an overheating issue with an undisclosed origin. When in doubt, the pilots decided (and very wisely) to land at the nearest airport to carry out an inspection.”
“Positioned in a remote spot as protocol requires for these cases, the firefighters conducted their assessment and cleared the aircraft as ready shortly afterward.”
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