Portuguese emergency services mobilised over 80 responders and 35 vehicles after a packed passenger jet bound for the Canary Islands was forced to divert following reports of smoke filling the cabin, sparking panic amongst British holidaymakers.
Faro Airport activated its highest-level ‘red code alert’ protocol around 12.25pm local time as Jet2 Flight LS3643 made an unscheduled landing on Tuesday, with firefighters, paramedics and police placed on standby for the incoming aircraft.
The Boeing 737 had departed Bournemouth at 9.55am with Gran Canaria as its intended destination—a journey typically lasting approximately 3.5 hours. However, local aviation sources confirmed the captain diverted to Portugal’s Algarve region after smoke began permeating the passenger compartment.
Civil Protection authorities confirmed their emergency deployment included ambulances and specialist firefighting units as part of standard red alert procedures for aviation incidents, though the aircraft ultimately touched down without reported injuries.
The diversion marks the latest in a series of emergency landings involving UK-bound flights at Portuguese airports in recent months. December witnessed two separate incidents requiring similar responses at Faro.
A London Stansted to Fuerteventura service declared an emergency mid-flight, with commercial airline monitoring service Squawk Alert reporting at the time that “the crew of Jet2 flight EXS83LV from London to Fuerteventura has declared an emergency and are diverting to Faro.”
Aviation tracking sites indicated that December incident involved complications with the aircraft’s first engine, prompting the precautionary landing whilst emergency services awaited the plane’s arrival.
Earlier the same month, a Ryanair flight carrying returning British tourists from Fuerteventura to Bristol diverted to neighbouring Lanzarote shortly after departure when multiple onboard lavatories malfunctioned. Flight FR1667 had been scheduled to reach Bristol around 5pm on December 8 but instead returned to the Canary Islands approximately 30 minutes into its journey, according to air traffic control sources.
The frequency of diversions to Portuguese airports has raised questions about emergency preparedness protocols, with Faro particularly positioned as a strategic diversion point for flights travelling between Britain and popular Spanish holiday destinations including the Canary Islands.
Jet2 has not released a statement regarding Tuesday’s smoke incident or provided details about the cause of the cabin contamination that prompted the emergency procedures.
Passengers aboard the affected flight faced significant delays to their Gran Canaria travel plans whilst the airline arranged alternative transport following the unscheduled Portuguese stopover.
