Earlier this week, a Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) Airbus A330-300 departing Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) in the US federal state of Massachusetts had to abort its takeoff due to a fiery engine issue. The incident, which was caught on camera, saw smoke and flames briefly erupt from the turbofan.
As a result of this alarming occurrence, the aircraft involved returned to the gate, and was promptly taken out of service. Two days later, it remains on the ground in Boston, although its passengers weren’t delayed quite so heavily. Indeed, a replacement aircraft was available to fly them home that same evening.
A Fiery Aborted Takeoff
SWISS flight LX55 is a regularly scheduled commercial passenger flight that originates at 
Boston Logan International Airport. According to tracking data from Flightradar24, it operates on a daily basis, with its destination being Zürich Airport (ZRH), the carrier’s main long-haul hub in its home country of Switzerland. The flight takes seven hours and 15 minutes, leaving at 17:05 and landing at 06:20 the next day.
According to the Aviation Herald, LX55 was scheduled to be operated by an Airbus A330-300 registered as HB-JHM on September 16, with CBS noting that there were 223 passengers and 13 crew members onboard. However, while attempting to depart Boston at around 18:25, the aircraft’s right-hand Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofan dramatically emitted smoke and flames. A SWISS spokesperson explained that:
“Investigations into the exact nature of the engine problem are currently underway. However, depending on the problem with an engine, it is possible that a flame may be visible for a brief moment.”
Arriving Traffic Was Briefly Paused
The incident itself can be seen in the video below. Per CBS, SWISS confirmed that “the crew immediately aborted the takeoff, [and that] the passengers were able to disembark the aircraft regularly after it had taxied back to the gate.” The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA), which has said that it will investigate the incident, confirmed that arriving traffic was briefly paused before the jet left the runway.
Once the aircraft came to a stop on Boston Logan International Airport’s 2,397-meter (7,864-foot) runway 22R, it was met on the strip by vehicles from the facility’s emergency services, before eventually returning to the apron under its own power around 15 minutes later. Since then, it has remained in Boston.
According to NBC, the crew also reported hearing a loud noise at the time of the engine issue, but were not aware of the visual phenomena, such as smoke and flames, until being advised as such by the air traffic controllers at Boston Logan International Airport. In any case, no injuries were reported as a result.
The Incident Delayed The Flight By More Than Five Hours
With the Airbus A330-300 involved in this spectacular incident, HB-JHM, having to be taken out of service following its aborted takeoff, and Boston being a long way from home for SWISS, the flight’s passengers may have feared that they were in for a long night. However, a replacement jet was quickly sourced, meaning that, while still subjected to a heavy delay, the passengers did manage to depart that night.
According to the Aviation Herald, the aircraft that ended up operating SWISS flight LX55 on September 16 was another A330-300, namely one that bore the registration HB-JHB. This was not ferried over from Zürich to rescue the passengers, but, rather was already in Boston, having arrived on September 14. Data from Flightradar24 shows that this jet had initially been rostered to return to Zürich that same day.
However, for reasons that are not currently clear, it remained in Boston that night, and also did not operate flight LX55 back to Zurich on September 15 either, with Flightradar24 suggesting that this particular rotation was canceled. As such, it was well placed to step in to save the day when HB-JHM went haywire on September 16. It ultimately landed in Zürich just over five hours late on September 17, at 11:34.
