Earlier this year, a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320-200 flying from London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Porto (OPO) was forced to return to its point of departure shortly after takeoff due to a burning smell in the cabin. Now, two months later, Portugal’s Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Accidents in Civil Aviation and Rail (GPIAAF) has published a report into the matter, shedding further light on the precise details of this occurrence.

Among the findings of the Portuguese authorities were what exactly caused the fire, how the situation was identified and responded to, and, rather alarmingly, details of passengers blocking the aisle while the flight was still in its initial climb phase. Let’s take a closer look at what exactly happened that day.

Diving Deeper Into The TP1329 Incident

Credit: GPIAAF

According to the Aviation Herald, the incident unfolded on February 8, 2026, and involved a TAP Air Portugal Airbus A320-200 that bears the registration CS-TNJ. This jet was operating flight TP1329 from London Gatwick to Porto, but its first attempt resulted in the aircraft only being airborne for 13 minutes. Indeed, it returned to Gatwick shortly after takeoff, with reporting at the time suggesting that a fire in the galley caused the diversion.

Now, however, the GPIAAF’s April bulletin has shed new light on the incident. According to the Portuguese authorities’ latest report, cabin crew at the jet’s rear “detected a strong burning smell” during the climb, after which “a piece of hand luggage stowed in the overhead bin was found to be on fire.” While the blaze was quickly put out, emergency services met the jet on its arrival back at Gatwick, before it took off for Porto again. The GPIAAF said:

“A safety inspection was conducted before the flight to Porto. The cause of the fire was identified to be related to an electronic cigarette device that was inside the hand luggage.”

A Long Delay

Credit: Flightradar24

As seen in the map above, the fact that the fire broke out immediately after takeoff meant that the jet only performed a very short circuit before returning to London Gatwick Airport. The quick nature of the first flight was further underlined by the fact that the GPIAAF said that the incident occurred “before reaching 10,000 feet” of altitude, with the Aviation Herald going into further detail by saying that the crew levelled off at 4,000 feet.

While a potentially dangerous situation, the quick thinking of the flight crew and the inspections carried out by emergency services on the ground at Gatwick Airport meant that it was resolved relatively quickly. However, the GPIAAF’s report does highlight the fact that “12 passengers stood up and blocked the aisle” while the incident was unfolding – this is an alarming detail and one that was lucky not to have hindered the firefighting efforts.

All in all, TAP Air Portugal flight TP1329’s fiery departure from London Gatwick Airport on February 8, 2026, ultimately ended up delaying the service by around three hours. Once the crew were given the green light to take a second crack at the flight to Porto, the jet took off at 12:19 pm, and landed two hours later.

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The Aircraft Did Not Have To Be Taken Out Of Service

Credit: Shutterstock

While the fire damage to the offending luggage was certainly on the more severe side, the Airbus A320 operating the flight does not appear to have suffered any lasting operational impacts as a result. Indeed, tracking data made available by Flightradar24 shows that CS-TNJ has been rather busy of late.

While its delayed arrival into Porto on February 8 did mean that its subsequent flight (TP1933 to Lisbon) ran about two hours late, the jet operated a full short-haul program the following day without incident. This first saw it fly from Lisbon (LIS) to Geneva (GVA) and back, followed by a round trip to Rome (FCO), where the maximum delay was only about 45 minutes. Since then, it has continued to be deployed on routes throughout Europe.