A LATAM Airlines Perú Airbus A320 was evacuated at Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport on Monday, 19 October 2026, after a fire broke out around its left engine and wing area shortly before takeoff. Flight LA2302 was due to fly north to Piura. Airport firefighters responded and put out the flames, passengers were taken off the aircraft, and no injuries have been reported.
What happened on LA2302
Videos shared online by people at the airport and by a passenger seated near the wing show large flames and thick smoke beneath the left wing, in the area of the engine. According to a passenger interviewed by Peruvian broadcaster ATV, as reported by Gulf News, the captain had announced the departure and the engines had powered up for takeoff shortly before the fire started. The same passenger said the crew later told those on board that the takeoff had been stopped because of a problem with the left landing gear. That account has not been confirmed by LATAM or by any investigating authority.
LATAM Airlines Perú described the event in a statement as an "unforeseen technical event" before the start of the takeoff. The airline said it decided on a "preventive disembarkation" of passengers, "prioritising their safety at all times", and that its teams were assisting the travellers and rebooking them on other flights to Piura as soon as possible. The statement did not say how many people were on board.
The carrier added that the circumstances of the incident will be the subject of a technical evaluation in line with the applicable procedures. It has not given a cause, and there is no official information yet on whether the fire started inside the engine or in a system or component near it.
The aircraft
Brazilian aviation outlet Air Data News identified the aircraft as CC-BFS, an Airbus A320-214 built in 2013 with manufacturer serial number 5818. It is an A320ceo, the generation before the A320neo, fitted with the upturned sharklet wingtips that Airbus introduced late in A320ceo production. The jet is powered by two CFM International CFM56-5B engines.
According to Air Data News, CC-BFS had arrived in Lima on Sunday on a flight from Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon. Flight LA2302 did not depart on Monday, and the aircraft is due to undergo a technical inspection.
Airport and passenger response
Jorge Chávez International Airport said its operations continued normally after the incident, with the airport fire service handling the response on the ground. Peru's consumer protection authority, Indecopi, said its staff were monitoring the assistance given to the affected passengers to check that they receive the care they are entitled to, according to Panamericana Televisión.
The Lima–Piura route links the Peruvian capital with one of the largest cities in the country's far north. LATAM Airlines Perú, part of Chile-based LATAM Airlines Group, operates a large A320-family fleet on its domestic network from its Lima hub.
What comes next
The cause of the fire remains unknown. LATAM's technical evaluation and any review by Peruvian aviation authorities will determine what happened to the left engine area and whether it was connected to the reported landing gear issue. We will update this story if the airline or investigators release verified findings.
Sources: LATAM Airlines Perú statement via RPP and Expreso, Air Data News, Gulf News (citing ATV), Panamericana Televisión, Agencia Andina.
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