A Plus Ultra Airbus A330 was forced to abort its take-off from Tenerife North Airport on Sunday, temporarily closing the runway, just as an emergency helicopter was arriving carrying an injured man from Adeje.

The incident happened at approximately 12.55pm at Tenerife North Airport, when the aircraft was accelerating along the runway for its departure to Venezuela.

The Airbus A330 was accelerating along the runway when the crew aborted the take-off after an apparent technical problem. The exact nature of the fault has not been disclosed. The aircraft subsequently returned to the terminal for safety checks.

As a result, the airport’s runway was temporarily unavailable for approximately 15 minutes.

The disruption coincided with the arrival of a GES helicopter which was carrying a 25-year-old man injured in a quad bike accident in Adeje.

The helicopter landed at Tenerife North just minutes after the Plus Ultra aircraft had aborted its departure.

Airport returns to normal

Once the Airbus A330 had been moved away from the runway and Aena personnel had completed the necessary runway inspection, Tenerife North Airport returned to normal operations at 1.10pm.

The incident did not reportedly cause any significant delays to other flights scheduled to operate from the airport during the remainder of the day.

The aircraft involved operates Plus Ultra’s regular connection between Tenerife and Venezuela. The weekend service normally arrives at Los Rodeos at around 8.15am on Saturdays before departing for Venezuela at approximately 12.50pm on Sundays.

Airport control, emergency services and ground personnel coordinated the situation to ensure the safety of both the aircraft operation and the incoming medical helicopter.