A LATAM passenger jet burst into flames on the tarmac at Lima’s airport moments before takeoff Monday, with no injuries after firefighters put out the blaze.
Flight LA2302 sat on the ground at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Callao, near Lima, Peru, ready to leave for Piura when the left engine blew a fierce jet of red-hot flame backward. Thick black smoke poured out. Fire swallowed parts of the wing and the landing gear.
The Sun reported the blowtorch-like blast hit just before the plane could roll for takeoff. Airport firefighters raced in, killed the fire, and helped travelers off the aircraft. Nobody was hurt.
Both runways stayed open. Other arrivals and departures kept moving. Officials said the rest of the field was not shut down by the emergency.
LATAM Airlines Peru did not name a mechanical fault. It described what happened in careful language and stressed a safety-first response.
LATAM Airlines Peru said:
"An unexpected technical event occurred before takeoff, and for this reason the precautionary disembarkation of all passengers was ordered, always prioritising their safety."
The carrier said passengers were moved fast onto another flight.
LATAM Airlines Peru stated:
"The passengers were immediately rebooked onto a new flight, which has already landed in the city of Piura."
Piura sits in northern Peru, near the Ecuadorian border, roughly 900 kilometers from Lima. The replacement flight reached that city. The airline said the causes remain under review under standard procedures and repeated that passenger and crew safety is its top priority.
Footage after the fire showed travelers leaving the plane without emergency slides. How they exited was not spelled out in full. Peru’s consumer protection authority, Indecopi, said it was watching the help given to affected passengers and checking whether they got clear word on replacement flights and their rights.
The tarmac fire came days after a separate LATAM emergency that ended at the same Lima airport.
On the prior Friday, a LATAM Boeing 767 made a rapid descent near the Ica region. Specialist reports pointed to a loss of cabin pressure. The jet had been cruising at 33,000 feet, then plunged about 23,000 feet in minutes before leveling at 10,000 feet. Oxygen masks dropped. A general emergency was declared. The plane landed safely at Jorge Chavez International Airport at 11:31 a.m. Crew followed emergency procedures, and LATAM arranged another aircraft so passengers could continue to Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Passenger Alejandra Baigorria later described the fear on that flight. She said she had to breathe through an oxygen mask for nearly an hour before landing and thought she might not survive.
Baigorria said:
"These are the last minutes of my life."
Monday’s engine fire and Friday’s pressure emergency were separate events. The airline has not tied them together in the material released so far. The cause of the LA2302 blaze has not been made public. Aircraft type for that flight was not identified in the reporting.
What is clear is the sequence on the ground: flames from the left engine, smoke on the wing and gear, a fast firefighter response, a full precautionary unload, rebooking, and a safe arrival in Piura with no injuries reported.
When engines throw fire on a loaded jet still sitting on the apron, passengers deserve hard answers on maintenance and oversight, not just another polished promise that safety comes first.
