An empty Sunwing Airlines Boeing 737 under tow caught fire on the ramp at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport on Friday evening after running into a WestJet 737, resulting in the emergency evacuation of the WestJet aircraft. No passengers were hurt but a firefighter was treated for chemical inhalation. The mishap further snarled traffic at Canada’s busiest airport after a challenging series of weather-related delays over the holidays. The fire, which may have involved the APU on the Sunwing plane, was quickly extinguished. It’s not clear where the WestJet plane was hit, but the aftermath of the mishap curtailed operations at Terminal 3, the smaller of Pearson’s two main terminals.
The WestJet plane had just landed, bringing holidayers back from Cancun, and many took the trip down the slide to the cold ramp in shorts and flip-flops in subzero temperatures. The aircraft was stationary and waiting for a gate when the Sunwing plane, which was being pushed back from the gate, ran into it. “Due to the position of the aircraft on the laneway, WestJet guests required evacuation via emergency slide,” a WestJet statement said.
