Alarm at Diagoras Airport in Rhodes after an Olympic Air plane with 33 passengers and three crew members on board was forced to return to the airport shortly after taking off for Karpathos. The plane, an ATR 42-600 with flight number OA94, showed smoke from one of its two engines after a technical problem was detected in the oil system. According to preliminary information, the smoke was not caused by a fire in the engine, but by a defect in the system.

After the crew reported the problem, safety procedures were activated at Rhodes airport. The captain decided to return to Diagoras, where the plane landed safely just a few minutes after the defect was reported.

Passengers disembarked the plane normally and there was no need for an emergency evacuation, as there was no fire or more serious incident.

The passengers have temporarily remained at the airport, waiting for another plane to transport them to Karpathos. In the meantime, the ATR 42-600 aircraft will undergo technical checks to accurately determine the cause of the problem in the oil system.