Jet2 plane makes emergency landing after smoke reported in cabin

All 220 passengers onboard were safely removed from the aircraft

The Jet2 plane was flying from Tenerife South to Birmingham (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A Jet2 aircraft travelling from Tenerife South to Birmingham had to make an emergency landing after smoke was reportedly seen inside the cabin.

Flight LS1266, which departed on 22 February, sounded a red alert after cabin crew were alerted to the issue.

The Airbus A321neo was duly diverted to Faro Airport in Portugal, where all 220 passengers were safely removed.

According to Birmingham Live, the incident prompted a major response, with 80 firefighters, police and civil protection forces present at the scene.

A relief aircraft, a Boeing 757, was arranged to transport the stranded passengers home to Birmingham.

It touched down in the city shortly before midnight on the same day, more than six hours after its scheduled arrival time.

The affected plane remained in Faro, returning to Birmingham the following day.

A spokesperson for the budget airline said: “Flight LS1266 from Tenerife to Birmingham followed standard procedure and diverted to Faro on February 22 due to a minor technical issue.

“The aircraft landed safely and customers continued their journey to Birmingham on a replacement aircraft.”

The news comes days after Jet2 was ranked top in Which?’s annual customer satisfaction survey of the best airline providers.

The airline scored five stars for customer service, with passengers stating that cabins were clean and well-maintained, and that boarding was well organised.

Of those polled, 80 per cent of Jet2 fliers said they had no problems with the airline – and that when they do, “it’s usually sorted out with friendly efficiency”.

Customer scores were based on overall satisfaction and the likelihood to recommend.

British Airways was named the worst airline provider in the survey.

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “So many consecutive years of achieving Which?’s prestigious Recommended Provider status, on top of being the only UK airline to receive this accolade, demonstrates how we lead the industry when it comes to delivering exceptional customer service.

“We are incredibly grateful for the praise that our customers have given us in the survey, and I would like to applaud the brilliant teams across our business who are responsible for us consistently achieving such feedback.”