United Airlines was forced to cancel a Venice, Italy-bound flight after the plane suffered a massive fuel leak while waiting to take off at Newark Liberty International Airport. Video captured by a passenger on board the Boeing 767-300 shows fuel gushing from its left wing.
According to a United Airlines spokesperson, the aircraft has been taken out of service. However, the airline did not disclose the amount of the fuel spilled or the cause of the spill.
The incident, which took place Tuesday evening, forced United Flight 170 to return to the gate and its passenger to disembark. Passengers on the flight were provided hotel rooms for the night and rebooked on later flights.
In a statement to Business Insider, United Airlines wrote:
“While taxiing to the runway yesterday evening, United flight 170 traveling from Newark to Venice, Italy returned to the gate due to a fuel leak, and was later cancelled. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience. Our team helped provide customers with hotel accommodations for the night and are working to get them back on their way to Venice today.”
Newark Liberty International Airport, originally Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is the primary airport serving Northern New Jersey and also the New York metropolitan area of the U.S. It has three runways and is hub for United Airlines and FedEx Express.
