Passengers Evacuate After Delta Jet Erupts in Flames at Orlando Airport

Panic erupted at Orlando International Airport on Monday morning when a Delta Air Lines jet burst into flames, forcing hundreds of passengers to evacuate using emergency slides in a terrifying incident that could have ended much worse.

Flight 1213, an Airbus 330 carrying 282 passengers, 10 flight attendants, and 2 pilots, was preparing for takeoff to Atlanta when one of its engines suddenly caught fire just after pushing back from the gate at around 11:15 a.m. A now-viral video showed flames shooting from the right-side engine as passengers fled the aircraft in a chaotic scene.

Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and emergency crews quickly extinguished the flames. But the close call has sparked renewed scrutiny of Delta’s safety record especially following a string of recent incidents that have left flyers uneasy.

• Delta reported the fire began in the tailpipe of one of the aircraft’s two engines.

• All passengers were safely evacuated and returned to the terminal, where they later boarded a replacement flight to Atlanta.

• The FAA has launched an investigation, and the cause of the fire remains unknown as of Tuesday morning.

In a statement, Delta said “Nothing is more important than safety and Delta teams will work to get our customers to their final destinations as soon as possible.”

But many are asking: how many close calls does it take before real change happens?

This fire comes on the heels of another alarming Delta mishap: in February, 18 people were injured after a Delta jet flipped upside down during landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. Investigators later revealed the pilot had descended at twice the speed of a standard hard landing, raising serious concerns about training and operational oversight.

As Americans return to the skies in record numbers, incidents like this continue to highlight a grim reality: for all the promises of “safety first,” passengers are too often left at the mercy of mechanical failures and human error even with so-called “elite” carriers.

And while Delta tries to downplay the Orlando fire as “contained,” the truth is this: a plane with 294 souls onboard caught fire just moments before takeoff.

That should be a wake-up call.

Airlines must be held accountable not just after a tragedy, but before one happens. Preventive maintenance, better oversight, and real transparency are long overdue in an industry where too much is still left to chance.

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