Emirates says it is “fully collaborating” with investigators after one of its Boeing 777-300 aircraft crash landed at Dubai International Airport on Wednesday.
The accident took place a little after 1245 local time, when 777-300 A6-EMW, operating EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram, India, to Dubai, skidded along Runway 12L before shortly bursting into flames.
The 282 passengers and 18 crew were safely evacuated. One firefighter was killed fighting the blaze.
Dubai International Airport was closed for a number of hours after the crash, but has since reopened.
“Emirates is fully collaborating with local authorities to determine the cause of the incident,” the airline said in a statement.
“All passengers and crew were evacuated safely due to the quick response of the teams at Emirates and Dubai International Airport.”
Of the 282 passengers and 18 crew, 226 were of Indian nationality, while there were 23 Britons and 11 from the United Arab Emirates, according to figures published by Emirates. There were two Australians on board.
The Qantas alliance partner said the 777-300, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines, involved in the accident joined the Emirates fleet in March 2003. Further, it said both the captain and the first officer had “over seven thousand hours of flying experience each”.
Boeing said it would send a technical team to Dubai to participate in the investigation.
“Under the direction of the US National Transportation Safety Board, Boeing is launching a team and will serve as a technical advisor supporting the investigation led by the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA),” the manufacturer said in a statement.
Emirates’ chairman and chief Executive Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum posted a statement on YouTube shortly after the aircraft crashed:
Before later taking questions from journalists at a media conference in Dubai:
Qantas, meanwhile, says its flights through Dubai have not been affected by the accident.
The incident at Dubai Airport on the 3rd of August has not impacted any Qantas services, our flights will operate as scheduled.
— Qantas (@Qantas) August 4, 2016
