British Airways Boeing 777 is surrounded by fire engines on the runway after 'full emergency' landing at Heathrow airport
- The jet is the same kind involved in a major fire in Las Vegas this week
- Crew on Washington to London service asked for a 'priority landing'
- Fire engines surrounded the plane as it came to the halt on the runway
A British Airways Boeing 777 - the same model of jet that burst in to flames in Las Vegas this week - was involved in a 'full emergency' at Heathrow today.
The transatlantic service from Washington to Heathrow was surrounded by fire engines for more than 30 minutes as the plane came to a halt at 10.30am.
Crew had asked for a 'priority landing' at the airport, just days after another Boeing 777 was evacuated because of an engine fire at 90mph which left more than a dozen people injured.
British Airways pilot Chris Henkley was hailed as a hero after he brought the flaming BA plane to a standstill on the runway at Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.
Drama: Fire engines rush to the British Airways Boeing 777 at Heathrow this morning after it landed safely from Washington today
Probe: A technical fault meant this BA 777 was kept on the runway at Heathrow for 30 minutes after landing this morning
On the Heathrow incident today a British Airways spokesman said: 'The flight crew requested a priority landing as a precaution, and the aircraft landed safely.
'The safety of our customers and crew is always our main concern and our highly trained pilots will never compromise this.
'We are sorry for the delay to our customers' journeys'.
A source said that the problem may have related to the plane's hydraulics but the airline has launched an investigation.
The BA spokesman added: 'Engineers are inspecting the aircraft'.
Heathrow Airport said they had to temporarily close the runway because of a 'full emergency', according to Sky News.
A spokesman said: 'Earlier today, Heathrow temporarily suspended operations on one runway so that an aircraft with a technical fault could be moved to stand.
'There was no risk to the safety of passengers and Heathrow is now operating as normal.
'We are sorry for any delays to flights this morning.'
The British Airways flight bound for London Gatwick was loaded with passengers on the tarmac at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas when it burst into flames - just before it was supposed to take off
Drama: This is the fire on a Boeing 777 after a blaze at Las Vegas this week where more than a dozen people were injured
Close up images of British Airways Flight 2276 that caught fire at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport seem to show how the engine exploded on one side before belching fire towards the cabin
Days earlier a British Airways Boeing 777-200 was about to take off from Las Vegas when one of the engines burst into flames, forcing 157 passengers, 10 crew and three pilots to escape down inflatable slides.
Those on board told how they feared for their lives as the cabin filed with smoke after the plane came to a screeching halt.
Hero pilot Chris Henkley, from Berkshire, was on one of his final flights before his retirement.
In a series of dramatic accounts, passengers feared for their lives and revealed how their exit was blocked by some passengers trying to retrieve their baggage from overhead lockers.
Incredibly, all 170 on board the plane escaped without serious injury, although around a dozen suffered from minor injuries and smoke inhalation.
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