LATAM A320 evacuated in Lima after engine fire before takeoff

A LATAM Airlines flight from Lima to Piura was stopped before departure on October 19, 2026, after a fire broke out in the left engine of an Airbus A320 at Jorge Chávez International Airport. Emergency crews put out the blaze. No one on board was hurt.

The aircraft, operating flight LA2302, was on the tarmac preparing to leave when what the airline described as an unforeseen technical event occurred. Passenger video showed flames under the left wing and heavy dark smoke. According to accounts from those on board, the engines were spooling up for takeoff when the crew aborted the departure and told passengers of the technical problem.

Airport firefighting units reached the aircraft and extinguished the fire. Ground staff then disembarked all passengers and crew as a precaution. LATAM said the preventive disembarkation was ordered with safety as the priority at all times.

Passengers were given assistance and accommodation and rebooked onto other flights to Piura, the airline said. Airport operations returned to normal schedules once the scene was cleared.

The Peruvian aviation safety authority and LATAM technical teams have opened an investigation into what caused the engine failure. The source identifies the aircraft as an A320-214 registered CC-BFS, fitted with CFM56-5B4/3 engines.