Hundreds of air passengers had to wait nearly a day to carry on with their travels after their plane got stuck in the mud attempting to take off after an emergency landing in Kazakhstan on Saturday.
Swiss International Air Lines Flight 161’s intended travel route was from Tokyo to Zurich. Instead, it stopped at Astana International Airport due to a medical incident, the airline told Business Insider.
“The passenger concerned was handed over to medical personnel on site,” Swiss International Air Lines said.
When the Boeing 777 prepared to take off again, Astana’s taxiway was closed, which meant the pilots had to try to turn the plane around while still on the runway.
LUFTHANSA CONFIRMS ‘ROUGH LANDING’ BY BOEING ‘TRAINING FLIGHT’ CAUGHT ON CAMERA BOUNCING OFF LAX RUNWAY
“The aircraft’s nose wheel got caught in the grass,” according to one user on X. Post pictures show the plane stuck in mud. It was towed back onto the runway before being checked for any damage.
As for the passengers, Austrian Airlines had to step in to help get the 331 passengers from Astana to Vienna 20 hours after their first plane landed in Kazakhstan.
After that, Swiss International Air Lines dispatched another 777 to take them from Vienna to Zurich.
Both Austrian and Swiss are part of Lufthansa group.
SWISS AIR FLIGHT TAKEOFF FROM NYC TO ZURICH ABORTED AFTER 4 JETS CLEARED TO CROSS RUNWAY: REPORT
“We thank all our passengers for their understanding and patience in this exceptional and unforeseen situation,” Swiss told Business Insider. “We apologize once again for any inconvenience caused. A big thank you also goes to all the employees involved for their tireless and outstanding efforts.”
Neither Swiss nor Austrian immediately responded to a FOX Business request for comment.
Back in April, a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles had a “rough landing” at Los Angeles International Airport.
The Boeing 747-8 was caught on camera by LA-based Airline Videos Live, bouncing off the runway and attempting to land again before taking off, circling around the airport and then finally landing safely after its second attempt.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DLAKY | DEUTSCHE LUFTHANSA AG | 6.2 | -0.02 | -0.32% |
| SWIN | SOLOWIN HOLDINGS | 2.93 | +0.10 | +3.53% |
| BA | THE BOEING CO. | 179.99 | +3.58 | +2.03% |
Days prior, a Swiss International Air Lines flight traveling from New York City to Zurich had to abort takeoff, averting a “potentially dangerous situation,” the airline confirmed.
Flight LX17 from John F. Kennedy Airport left the gate at 4:21 p.m. April 17, according to FlightAware. The aircraft was cleared for takeoff at the same time an air traffic controller on another frequency cleared four other jets to cross the runway, according to audio obtained by NPR.
“Due to the high level of situational awareness and quick reaction of our crew, a potentially dangerous situation was quickly de-escalated,” Swiss International Air Lines said in a statement to FOX Business.
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