First the chemical smell on board, then the emergency landing in the Azores. A flight of the Swiss company, which departed from Chicago, in the United States, and headed for Switzerland, had to interrupt its route and proceed with an emergency landing towards the Portuguese islands located in the middle of the Atlantic. As reported by the Swiss media, the pilot of the aircraft opted for Lajes airport, on the island of Terceira, where the landing took place in complete safety.
The chemical smell on board
As specified in a note from the airline, the decision was taken after the crew noticed a “chemical and pungent odor” in Economy class, the origin of which has not yet been identified: “In a situation of this type, our crews take no risks and take the precautionary decision to land at a suitable airport. In coordination with the relevant air traffic control authorities, a state of emergency was declared to ensure that the aircraft was given the appropriate priority in the airspace”.
The emergency landing
Flightradar24 data also showed, during the flight, the activation of the 7700 code, used by the crews to signal a general emergency situation on board. The plane, a Boeing 777-3De, then headed towards the island of Terceira, where it landed at Lajes airport around 8.30 am, according to Swiss time. There were 222 passengers and 16 crew members on board the flight. According to the Swiss note, six people (five passengers and one staff member) underwent preventive medical examinations after landing, having briefly experienced symptoms such as eye irritation, nausea and headaches.
The airline’s note
“We are aware that a deviation of this type could create inconvenience for our passengers and generate uncertainty – we read in the press release -. For this reason, it is even more important for us to continue to provide them with the best possible assistance and allow them to continue their journey to Zurich as quickly as possible”.
The airline has already scheduled a replacement flight from Zurich to Terceira, which will then return to Switzerland with all passengers on board. Departure from Zurich is scheduled for around 1pm, while the replacement flight is scheduled to arrive in Switzerland at 10.15pm this evening. The origin of the smell has not yet been identified, but a team of experts will thoroughly analyze the aircraft to identify the cause.