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Report nowA Condor flight from Corfu to Düsseldorf had to make an emergency landing in Brindisi due to a burning engine. Passengers report on their terrifying experiences.
A Condor flight from Corfu to Düsseldorf ended in a nightmare for the passengers. Shortly after take-off on Saturday evening, the right engine caught fire, leading to an emergency landing in Brindisi, reports "rtl.de".
There were 273 passengers on board, including Jasmin from Koblenz with her two children. "The fireballs came straight at us," recalls the mother, who was sitting just a few meters away.
Her daughter Jana describes the situation as life-threatening: "I was really scared for my life."
Other passengers also experienced similar states of fear. Despite the panic, many remained surprisingly calm, as Jasmin reports. "The whole plane was in shock," confirms her daughter.
The pilots noticed the problem with the engine on their monitors and decided to head for the nearest airport in Brindisi. Markus, another passenger, remembers the pilot announcing that one engine would be shut down. "I wondered whether we would make it," he says.
Markus and his family were also on board and experienced mortal fear. After the stopover, they wondered whether they should ever fly again. In the end, they decided to take the replacement plane the next day.
Most of the passengers spent the night on the ground at Brindisi airport. Bianca, who was traveling with her mother in a wheelchair and her daughter, felt abandoned. "My child slept on the tiles," she reports. The only food was a bottle of water.
Condor confirmed that there was not enough hotel capacity to accommodate all the passengers. The tour operator Aida also explained that it was not possible to accommodate all guests in hotels at the small regional airport. However, both companies assured that they would cover the costs if passengers had organized their own accommodation.
The next morning, a replacement plane was provided to take the passengers to Düsseldorf. Many of them are now relieved to be back home. "Now we're really glad to be back," says Bianca.
