Flight diverted to Shannon Airport over odour emergency

American Airlines jet lands early as passengers and crew complain of feeling unwell

An  American Airlines jet has diverted to Shannon Airport. File photograph:  Mike Fuentes/Bloomberg News
An American Airlines jet has diverted to Shannon Airport. File photograph: Mike Fuentes/Bloomberg News

A transatlantic jet has diverted to Shannon Airport after a number of passengers and cabin crew complained of feeling unwell due to an odour in the cabin.

The American Airlines flight was en route from Madrid in Spain to New York in the US at the time. There were 170 passengers and crew on board.

The Boeing 767-300 jet was off the south coast of Ireland when the crew declared an emergency and requested clearance to divert to Shannon.

It’s understood that a number of flight attendants and passengers had complained of feeling unwell after the odour was detected on board.

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Airport fire crews were standing by for the jet when it landed at 4.35pm on Monday. A number of ambulances and fire crews from Shannon and Ennis were also sent to the airport.

An American Airlines spokesperson confirmed that the flight diverted due to an odour in the cabin.

A fleet of ambulances and rapid response vehicles left the airport two hours after the flight first landed.

A number of flight attendants and passengers were assessed however the airline has confirmed that no one required to be transported to hospital.

The flight was later cancelled so that engineers could carry out checks on the aircraft. The passengers were sent to local hotels for the night.

The flight is due to continue its journey on Tuesday.