06 January 2024 , 03:28
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A horrifying moment captured in photos and videos shows a plane window exploding midflight, forcing the aircraft to make an emergency landing.
An Alaska Airlines flight was forced to make an emergency landing at Portland International Airport after "a large window section of the aircraft blew out in mid-air," according to several passengers.
It is not currently clear if there are any injuries or what caused the window to malfunction the way it did. Dramatic photos sent to Fox News by a passenger show a large section of the airplane’s window missing. Other passengers said the flight was headed from PDX to Ontario, California. It departed Portland at 4:40 p.m. and was back in Portland around 5:30 p.m.
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It landed at Portland International Airport on Friday night (kptv)
(UKNIP)In a statement the airline said incidents of this type were 'rare' and added: "Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 from Portland, Oregon to Ontario, California, experienced an incident this evening soon after departure. The aircraft landed safely back at Portland International Airport with 171 guests and 6 crew members.
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(FOX 12)"The safety of our guests and employees is always our primary priority, so while this type of occurrence is rare, our flight crew was trained and prepared to safely manage the situation. We are investigating what happened and will share more information as it becomes available."
Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines is currently in the process of buying Hawaiian Airlines in a $1.9 billion (£1.5B) deal, including debt, putting it on track for a potential clash with a Biden administration that has shown wariness about higher fares in the industry.
(FOX 12)The combined company would keep both airlines’ brands, rooted in the nation’s 49th and 50th states. Alaska will pay $18 in cash for each share of Hawaiian, whose stock closed Friday at $4.86 after losing just over half its value in the year so far. The deal will need the blessing of US regulators, which have resisted more airline consolidation out of fear it could lead to higher fares.