An Emirates aircraft departing from St. Petersburg, Russia to Dubai was “returned to the stand” after smoke was detected in the plane.
The incident that took place on Flight EK176 on June 30 was confirmed by Emirates in a statement to Khaleej Times.
“The flight returned to the stand due to reports of smoke being detected during pushback for departure,” read the statement.
The airline also confirmed that “as a precaution, all passengers and crew were disembarked” as local authorities and fire services thoroughly checked the aircraft.
The airline said that the flight took off after investigations were completed.
“Passengers were re-boarded after inspections were completed and the aircraft departed with a delay,” said the statement. “We apologise for the inconvenience. The safety of our passengers and cabin crew is of utmost important and will not be compromised.”
According to Russian media, who first reported the incident, investigations are underway to establish a cause for the incident.