A Condor flight carrying 273 passengers and eight crew members faced a frightening incident on Saturday night. The Boeing 757-300, bound for Düsseldorf, took off from Corfu, Greece, when its right engine suddenly caught fire mid-air.
Fire Caught on Video
Passengers captured the dramatic scene on video, which quickly spread online. One 18-second clip showed sparks flashing from the right side of the aircraft. The sight resembled a lighter struggling to ignite and lasted for nearly 15 seconds, adding to the panic onboard.
Condor Boeing 757 from Corfu to Düsseldorf turned into a flying nightmare — right engine burst into flames after takeoff.
— Vaishnav (@VaishnavSharan7) August 18, 2025
273 on board heard loud bangs, saw flames & lost power, convinced it was the end.
Pilot landed safely in Italy.
No injuries — but a lifetime of trauma pic.twitter.com/2TpnDWcJg1
Pilot’s Swift Action
According to reports, the pilot quickly shut down the damaged engine and first attempted to turn back to Corfu. However, he later decided to continue flying with the remaining engine still working. About an hour after takeoff, the aircraft landed safely at Brindisi Airport in Italy.
Passengers Stranded Overnight
Condor later apologised to passengers for the distress and inconvenience. Due to a shortage of hotel rooms in Brindisi, most travelers had to spend the night at the airport. The airline arranged another flight, and passengers finally reached Düsseldorf the following day.
Boeing 757’s Long Service History
The Boeing 757 model has been in service for decades. Aviation enthusiasts often call it the "Atari Ferrari," as it is one of the world’s oldest passenger aircraft still flying, now operating in its fifth decade.
Previous Aviation Tragedy in June
This incident comes just two months after a deadly crash involving Air India. On June 12, a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad. Out of 272 people on board, only one survived. Nineteen others on the ground also lost their lives when the plane plunged into a hostel after a sudden drop in altitude.