A London-bound flight was forced to slam on its brakes mid-takeoff to avoid an “obstruction” on the runway at JFK Airport Thursday night, The Post has learned.
Norse Atlantic Airways Flight Z0702 was heading out of the busy Queens airport shortly after 6 p.m. when it suddenly had to abort takeoff because of a “potential obstruction on the runway,” the airline said.
Data on FlightRadar24 shows the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner hitting 87 knots — or 100 mph — before abruptly slowing down and pulling a quick left back onto the taxiway.
The flight eventually took off again a short time later and landed six hours later at London’s Gatwick Airport without incident.
Passenger Angela Blevins told The Post that the sudden stop was unexpected, but that the cabin remained calm.
“No one really screamed, except maybe a few sudden utterances because we stopped so quickly,” she said.
“It didn’t feel like a crash or that we were in danger.”
In a statement, Norse airlines insisted that the incident was minor and that no one was in immediate danger.
“Norse Atlantic Airways flight Z0 702 from New York JFK to London Gatwick performed a rejected take off due to a potential obstruction on the runway,” the airline said.
“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and our pilots are highly trained for such events. The flight departed shortly afterwards with only a minor delay.”