Crew member in intensive care after Swiss emergency landing in Graz
Published: Tuesday, Dec 24th 2024, 16:10
Updated At: Wednesday, Dec 25th 2024, 00:59
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One day after the emergency landing of a Swiss aircraft in Graz (Austria) due to smoke in the cabin, two crew members continued to receive medical treatment on Tuesday - one of them in intensive care. Swiss flew the affected passengers to Switzerland on a replacement aircraft. Investigations into the cause were ongoing. There have been several problems with the A220 aircraft type concerned in the past.
The plane was en route from Bucharest to Zurich on Monday with 74 passengers and five crew members when engine problems and smoke developed in the cockpit and passenger cabin. After landing, the passengers left the plane via the emergency slides.
Twelve passengers and four other crew members required medical attention. The seriously injured crew member was taken to hospital by helicopter and admitted to intensive care.
According to Swiss, his condition is being monitored "with concern". The family was on site and the airline was in close contact with the doctors responsible. There was no information on the exact state of health.
Airplane taken away
Twelve hospitalized passengers and two crew members were able to leave the hospital on Tuesday. A special flight also brought the passengers to Zurich on Tuesday morning. They had spent the night in hotels.
The airport in Graz was temporarily closed after the incident in the evening. The plane was eventually taken away from the runway. Airport operations were back to normal on Tuesday.
The cause of the incident was initially unclear. The airline is working closely with the relevant authorities, who are investigating the incident, Swiss announced.
Dramatic moments on board
One passenger reported dramatic moments on board. "There was a strange noise, a lot of smoke and people couldn't breathe. I didn't know what had happened," she told the Austrian newspaper "Kleine Zeitung" in a video interview.
She was asleep at first, then heard a noise and smelled smoke. "I panicked, I didn't know what was going on," said the young woman. "I tried to calm down." The plane captain then said that he had to make an emergency landing. Other passengers had seen an explosion and fire on the engine.
Problems with engines
The affected Airbus A220 aircraft series, a modern short-haul jet, has repeatedly exhibited engine problems in the past. The aircraft are equipped with Pratt & Whitney engines. In some incidents, parts of the engine were ejected outwards due to a malfunction. The incidents led to temporary groundings, which also affected Swiss.
The Lufthansa subsidiary operates 30 aircraft of the short-haul jet, 21 in the long-haul version and 9 in the short-haul version. The longer version has 145 seats and a range of over 6,000 kilometers. According to the airline, fuel consumption is up to a quarter lower than comparable aircraft. They first went into service in 2016.
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