Faro, Portugal, April 16, 2026 (Lusa) – A Jet2.com aircraft carrying 141 passengers from the UK made a safe emergency landing in Faro on Thursday due to technical issues, Civil Protection sources told Lusa.

The Boeing 737-800 had departed from Bournemouth, UK, bound for Gran Canaria, Spain, when the crew reported "smoke in the cabin", according to the Algarve Regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command.

A source from ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal told Lusa that the pilots declared a "technical emergency" minutes before the aircraft landed safely at 12:24 a.m at Faro airport. Passengers disembarked so that technical inspections of the aircraft could proceed, the airport authority said.

The emergency triggered the airport's Preliminary Intervention Plan, which, in accordance with established protocol, mobilises several Civil Protection entities. Actions for emergency landings include prepositioning teams to provide a rapid rescue response at touchdown and securing road corridors for emergency vehicles.

The operation involved 95 personnel and 41 vehicles, including firefighters, police, and medical services.

JPC/RYOL // ADB.

Lusa