The team was forced to stay in a hotel in Germany for an extra night (Representational pic)
A plane that was to carry the Arsenal women's team back to London following their Champions League draw with Wolfsburg burst into flames on the runway. According to Metro, the incident occurred on Sunday evening at Germany's Braunschweig Wolfsburg Airport shortly before a Boeing 737 was due to take off.
An airport spokesman told the German newspaper Bild that a bird strike had caused the engine fire. Witnesses said that they heard a loud bang, following which the plane was stopped. Flames were spotted coming out of the plane, forcing the pilots to abandon take-off.
Fortunately, all passengers were evacuated and no one was hurt in the incident. However, the team was forced to stay in a hotel in Germany for an extra night owing to the mishap.
Later, Arsenal released a statement confirming the team returned home safely on Monday on a replacement plane.