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An American Airlines plane blew a tire upon takeoff and caught fire in Florida on Wednesday, the latest of multiple such incidents. The flight, which was taking off from Tampa and headed Phoenix, was delayed after the "mechanical issue" on the runway right before takeoff, airline spokesman Alfredo Garduño told USA TODAY on Wednesday. The issue, according to Garduño, involved Boeing 737-800 tires. Emergency responders responded to the scene just before 8 a.m. after receiving word that a tire had blown off and caught on fire, Tampa International Airport spokesman Joshua Gillin told the Tampa Bay Times. Everyone on board, including 174 passengers and six crew members, were "safely deplaned and were bussed to the terminal," Garduño said. No other flight operations were affected by the incident, the Times reported. All passengers were rebooked on other flights to Phoenix. "We never want to disrupt our customers' travel plans and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused," Garduño said.<br/>

Airbus and Iberia are among partners planning to study the issues associated with establishing a hydrogen airport hub in Spain. The partnership – which also includes regional carrier Air Nostrum, airports operator Aena, and energy specialists Repsol and Exolum – aims to develop a “holistic view” of hydrogen-powered aircraft integration, says Airbus. “It will not only focus on hydrogen supply and infrastructure, but also on the specific requirements for ground operations at airports,” the airframer adds. The six companies, it states, will bring together the “entire value chain” for the first time – from energy production to ground and air operations. “Hydrogen will foreseeably be part of the future of aviation, which will come later and will complement the development of sustainable fuels,” says Iberia director of sustainability Teresa Parejo. "To reach that future we must start taking the first steps now.”<br/>