Planes such as Emirates' Boeing 777-300 are designed so that all passengers can escape within 90 seconds, Quest said.
"Airlines plan for this sort of thing," he said. "They have emergency plans in place. The idea is that you have to be able to evacuate an aircraft within 90 seconds if there is an accident on the ground. And this clearly appears to be what has happened."
Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, said it was "thankful all aboard were evacuated safely."
"A Boeing technical team is standing by to launch in support of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board," a Boeing statement said.