Terror at 35,000ft as Jet2 airliner's engine fails over the Atlantic on flight to Tenerife

Holiday jet flying from Glasgow to Tenerife declared a Mayday emergency

Three babies and 47 children aged two to 16 were among 191 passengers 

Boeing 737-800 was 30 minutes from its destination when alert was issued

There was a 'controlled shutdown' of one engine after oil pressure problem

The aircraft descended quickly by 10,000ft to stabilise at 25,000ft

 

The pilot of a holiday jet to Tenerife declared a Mayday emergency after one of its two engines failed at 35,000ft over the Atlantic.

The Jet2 flight from Glasgow was packed with families – including three babies and 47 children aged two to 16 – heading for sunshine breaks during the half-term school holiday.

The drama began as the Boeing 737-800 with 197 people on board – 191 passengers and six crew – was 30 minutes from its destination.

The airline confirmed to the Daily Mail that the pilot of the aircraft, registered G-GDFY, had issued a Mayday alert three-quarters of the way through the three and a half hour flight to the holiday isle on Monday after the engine failed.

It said there had been an 'engine oil pressure issue' which led to the 'controlled shutdown' of one engine as a 'precautionary measure' following a 'technical fault indication'.

The incident has been logged with UK and Spanish safety authorities, it said. As a UK registered plane, the pilot has to file an incident report within four days to the Civil Aviation Authority.