Spirit Airlines Aborts Takeoff Due to Odor Detected Onboard

A Spirit Airlines flight preparing to take off from a Las Vegas airport Wednesday was forced to turn back to the gate after fumes reported inside the plane reportedly left passengers sick.

According to LasVegasNews.com, Spirit Flight 170 was about to take off from McCarran International Airport en route to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport at around 8:30 a.m. local time when the incident occurred.

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Passengers began to report the smell of oil inside the plane and 15 passengers requested and received medical attention at the gate. As a precaution, one person was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation.

A Spirit spokesperson told TravelPulse:

“Shortly after closing the boarding door on Spirit flight 170 with intended service from Las Vegas to Minneapolis, a smell resembling oil presented onboard. The door was immediately opened and our Guests and Crew exited the aircraft. EMS assessed Guests at the gate, and one Guest elected to be transported to the hospital as a precaution. The aircraft in question has been taken out of service while our maintenance team inspects it. Safety is our top priority, and we apologize for the inconvenience.”

The impacted passengers were deplaned and booked on other flights. The travelers were also given meals and full refunds or future travel vouchers.

In April, another Spirit flight flying from Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale turned back shortly after takeoff due to an unknown odor onboard. The airline said no passengers were impacted, but the crew of seven was checked out as a precaution.