Delta plane catches fire on runway in Orlando with flames seen engulfing aircraft as passengers rush to escape blaze

A COMMERICAL plane has been evacuated after it caught fire moments before taking off.

The Delta jet was set to leave Orlando for Atlanta at around 11 am ET on Monday when flames and billows of black smoke started to come out of the engine.

Delta airplane on the tarmac with passengers evacuating via emergency slide. — A Delta plane has been evacuated after it caught fire moments before taking offCredit: X/@beckerkw

Delta airplane on fire on a runway. — The Delta jet was set to leave Orlando for Atlanta at 11 am ET on Monday when flames and billows of black smoke started to come out of the engineCredit: X/ Dylan Wallace

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told The U.S. Sun that the Delta flight "was pushing back from the gate for departure at Orlando International Airport around 11:15 a.m. local time on Monday, April 21, when an engine caught fire."

They said that passengers evacuated the plane using emergency slides.

Orlando International Airport also released a statement about the engine fire, saying "Aircraft Rescue & Fire Fighting team promptly responded."

The flight has been delayed for several hours, causing an inconvenience to passengers during a time when anxieties over flight safety are already at a high.

Travelers are now set to depart from Orlando at 5 pm ET and arrive in Atlanta at 6:46 pm ET.

Meanwhile, the FAA said they will investigate the engine fire.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Delta for comment.

DELTA TORONTO FLIGHT CRASH

Delta has recently been in the spotlight after a flight flipped before bursting into flames after crash landing in Toronto in February.

Passengers coming from Minneapolis were forced to crawl along the ceiling of the plane cabin to flee the crash sight.

Over two dozen travelers were treated for injuries, officials said.

Two passengers were airlifted to trauma centers for critical but non-life-threatening injuries.

There was also a child taken to the hospital after the horrific accident.

Delta said in a statement to The U.S. Sun at the time: "Several customers with injuries were transported to area hospitals. Our primary focus is taking care of those impacted."

DEADLY PLANE CRASHES

Flight anxiety began to soar in late January when a Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight over Washington D.C., killing 67 people.

There have been several plane crashes that have made headlines since that tragic accident.

Earlier this month, six people died after a private plane crashed in Copake, New York - just 10 miles from the airport where it was set to land.

A family of top doctors and some of their loved ones were killed on their way to the Catskills for a birthday and Passover celebration.

Dr. Michael Groff, a neuroscientist who owned and piloted the private jet, and his urogynecologist Dr. Joy Saini, were among the deceased.

The couple's daughter, Karena Groff, and her boyfriend James Santoro also died in the crash.

They were both alumni of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jared Groff, the parents' paralegal son, and his partner, Alexia Couyutas Duarte, who was going to attend Harvard Law School this fall, were killed as well.

On Saturday, four people died after a plane struck power lines and crashed into a road in Trilla, Illinois.