American Airlines Flight Diverted To Houston After Fire Reported On Board

An American Airlines flight was diverted to Houston, Texas, due to a reported fire on board on Sunday (Jan. 21).

American Airlines Flight 885, flying from Austin, Texas, to Charlotte, North Carolina, was forced to divert to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston due to the "mechanical issue on board", which was a fire caused by the oven in the forward galley, the airline said in a statement.

Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident aboard the Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The flight took off from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport just before 2 PM local time and was forced to land in Houston at around 3 PM, according to data from FlightAware.

"The aircraft landed safely and without incident, and taxied to the gate under its own power. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience and appreciate our team members for their professionalism," American Airlines said.

After arriving at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, travellers experienced an extensive flight delay before heading to their actual destination in North Carolina, according to reports in the local media.

It is understood that a maintenance team in Houston evaluated the aircraft after it landed. Airport operations and the Houston Fire Department also responded to the aircraft for a report of a fire in an oven in the aircraft's galley, according to the Houston Airport System.

"After approximately 30 minutes, the alert was terminated, and the aircraft was declared fire-safe," an airport system spokesperson said.

The American Airlines flight departed Houston just before 11 PM local time and landed in Charlotte shortly before 2 AM local time.

Boeing, an aeroplane manufacturing giant, has been in the middle of scrutiny recently after the door plug of a Boeing 737 Max 9 plane operated by Alaska Airlines blew out in midair on Jan. 5. That led to the Federal Aviation Administration to ground the model operating in US territory.

The airline industry is not having the best of times as there have been quite a few safety issues reported.

Earlier this week, a Virgin Atlantic flight travelling from Manchester to New York was cancelled just before take-off after a passenger noticed a problem with the bolts on one of the wings.

Before this incident, a Virgin Atlantic flight was forced to turn back to Manchester Airport after take-off due to the cockpit reportedly filling with smoke.

Meanwhile, thousands of kilometres away, in Japan, there have been two airport crashes this month. A Japan Airlines plane collided with a coastguard aircraft on the runway on Jan. 2 and erupted into flames. Two planes collided on a runway in Japan on Jan. 16.