The US Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday said it will investigate after the crew on a United Airlines-operated Boeing 737 flight from Florida to Newark airport reported a fire in the cabin.
The airplane landed safely at Washington's Dulles airport on Thursday afternoon, the FAA said in a statement.
The airline reportedly claimed there were 98 passengers and five crew members aboard the Boeing 737, adding that the fire caused "light smoke to vent from a galley oven."
Another Boeing 737 issue
Meanwhile, a separate Boeing 737 flight operated by Alaska Airlines was forced to turn back on Wednesday after a fume onboard caused a smell which "concerned" the captain, the Daily Mail reported.
Approximately 15 minutes after departing Portland, Oregon, en route to Las Vegas, the Alaska Airlines flight began circling back to Portland.
“We just have a pretty strong odor in the back, the flight attendants are feeling a little nauseous. [They are] on the verge of vomiting,” the pilot told Air Traffic Control (ATC) according to MSN.
The flight landed back in Portland around 20 minutes after it had departed the airport.
One passenger posted video footage to their TikTok social media account to share their experience, and claimed that at least one flight attendant was hospitalized, while two more needed medical attention due to the fumes. Daily Mail reported that at least nine individuals in total required medical assistance but "no serious injuries were reported."
The passenger also noted that Alaska Airlines staff handled everything "perfectly."
The aircraft in question is 14-years-old, the New York Post reported.
The FAA announced that they will investigate what caused the fumes to occur.
Concerns have been rising, particularly in the US, about a seeming increase in airplane crashes and maintenance failures.
This was particularly the cast after a Black Hawk helicopter collided with a passenger jet in Washington in late January, killing 67 people.
The head of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA), Amornvaj Mansumitchai, was interviewed on Thursday, and said that pilots need to be better able to voice safety concerns freely without fear of punishment to reduce the chances of aviation accidents.
Boeing Senate testimony
The CEO of Boeing, Kelly Ortberg, testified before the US Senate on Wednesday that the planemaker is focused on improving safety and not pressuring workers to speed up production after a 2024 mid-air 737 MAX 9 emergency.
Lawmakers have been scrutinizing the company since a January 2024 mid-air emergency involving a new MAX 9 that was missing four key bolts raised fresh questions about Boeing's quality and safety culture, as well as regulatory oversight.
After the incident, the Federal Aviation Administration imposed a production cap of 38 planes per month on the 737 MAX. Boeing is still awaiting FAA approval of two new versions of the MAX.
"Insufficient oversight of third-party suppliers and a lack of sufficient internal auditing procedures created an unsustainable, lack of safety culture at Boeing," said Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas.
Last month, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Boeing had lost the trust of the American people and needed strict oversight after the Alaska Airlines incident and two fatal crashes.
The prior head of the FAA said it could take years to change Boeing's culture.
Reuters contributed to this report