Spirit Airlines flight evacuated onto taxiway at John Glenn Columbus International Airport

A Spirit Airlines flight headed to Florida from John Glenn Columbus International Airport was evacuated onto a taxiway Friday morning due to a mechanical issue, according to a statement from the airline.

Spirit Airlines flight 445 headed to Fort Lauderdale reported a mechanical issue shortly after pushing back from the gate at the airport. Its passengers were evacuated via the plane's stairs onto a taxiway "out of an abundance of caution," the statement said.

The evacuation occurred around 10 a.m., airport spokesperson Breann Gonzalez Almos said.

The deplaned passengers were shuttled back to the terminal, where they remained early Friday afternoon, Almos said.

The affected plane will be "thoroughly evaluated" by Spirit's maintenance team and the airline is working on finding alternate travel arrangements for its passengers, according to the airline's statement.

NHart@dispatch.com

@NathanRHart

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Spirit Airlines flight evacuated onto taxiway at John Glenn Columbus International Airport