American Airlines plane from Paris makes emergency landing in Iceland after reports of fumes

AA flight makes emergency landing in Iceland

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — An American Airlines flight with 145 people on board made an emergency landing in Iceland on Tuesday after five crew members became ill, apparently from chemical fumes in the cabin.

American Airlines Flight 49 traveling from Paris to Dallas-Fort Worth landed safely at Keflavik Airport just after 1345 GMT (9:45 a.m. EDT). Airport spokesman Fridthor Eydal said mechanics and civil aviation investigators were examining the plane to find the cause of the problem.

“They were apparently having some sort of problems with some sort of fumes in the cabin,” said spokesman Tim Smith of American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp.

Frodi Jonsson, an official at the airport’s fire department, said the fumes might be traced to boxes in the hold containing plane parts with oils and liquids. He said the cargo would be examined in an investigation.

“There was nothing unusual going on,” he told the Icelandic National Broadcaster when asked whether he suspected a terrorist attack.

The airline sent a replacement plane from London to pick up the 133 passengers and 12 crew members. The replacement flight left Iceland at about 9 p.m. local time for Dallas, Smith said.

The five crew members were in the cooking area of the Boeing 767-300 when they became ill, Civil Protection Agency officials said in a statement. Eight ambulances were sent to the airport but were not used.

Eydal said the crew members who complained of dizziness or nausea were treated at the scene and no one was taken to hospital.

Keflavik, Iceland’s international airport, is located about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of the capital, Reykjavik.