Air Canada plane catches fire after takeoff, no casualties reported

An Air Canada flight which was en route to Paris caught fire just minutes after taking off from Toronto Pearson International Airport, on June 7.
The flight had on board 389 passengers and 13 crew members.

After the incident took place, an immediate "PAN-PAN" distress signal was given by the flight crew, indicating a potential need for assistance. 
The aircraft fortunately managed to return safely to the airport with no injuries or casualties reported.

The Boeing 777 wide-body aircraft departed at 12:17 am (Toronto time), however, at 12:39 am, while the plane was still ascending, air traffic control (ATC) noticed sparks emanating from the right engine.

Following the incident, the malfunction was quickly communicated to the flight crew after which it was brought under control. 

Astronaut Chris Hadfield also shared a video of the burning engine and lauded the pilots and ATC for their exemplary handling of the situation. Hadfield's video revealed that the plane was at 1,000 feet when the pilots were alerted to the smoke and fire.

Despite the challenges, including low cloud cover and thunderstorms, the pilots control the flight cruising at 3,000 feet before turning back to Toronto.

ATC facilitated the emergency by clearing Runway 23 for landing, with fire vehicles on standby. The aircraft landed smoothly and continued taxiing within four minutes.

Air Canada also issued a statement on X stating that the fire erupted in the engine due to a stalled compressor.

"The aircraft landed normally, and it was met by first responder vehicles as a precaution before it taxied to the gate on its own," the statement stated.