Pictures show plane in Zurich Swiss plane has to turn around - runway blocked in Zurich
A Swiss flight to Budapest had to turn back shortly after take-off on Thursday. The reason: problems with the landing gear. The plane landed safely in Zurich - but has been blocking one of the airport's main runways ever since.
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- Flight LX2250 from Zurich to Budapest turned back due to a landing gear defect.
- After landing safely, the aircraft was unable to taxi back to its parking position.
- The passengers were evacuated and rebooked, runway 14 remains blocked for the time being.
An Airbus A220 operated by the Latvian airline Air Baltic on behalf of Swiss had to turn back on Thursday morning on its way to Budapest. The reason for this was problems with the landing gear, as Swiss confirmed to "Blick".
The affected aircraft, flight number LX2250, returned to Zurich Airport shortly after take-off. According to Swiss, the landing on runway 14 was uneventful, but the aircraft was no longer able to taxi to the parking area under its own power due to a defect in the nose landing gear.
The airport confirmed the incident and has adjusted air traffic accordingly. Landings are now being made via runway 16, while runway 14 is still blocked.
Passengers evacuated by bus
After landing safely, the 117 passengers were taken to the terminal by bus. Swiss announced that it was currently working on rebooking the passengers. Flight LX2254 to Budapest and the return flight LX2255 will now be operated with a larger aircraft.
Swiss apologized to those affected for the inconvenience and assured them that the passengers concerned will be able to continue their journey as soon as possible. The exact cause of the landing gear defect is now being investigated.
Despite technical problems, the aircraft was under control at all times, a spokesperson emphasized. There were no injuries.