Because of an unusual smell on board, a Lufthansa passenger plane carrying almost 340 people flew back to Frankfurt am Main unscheduled on Thursday. “The reason for this was an unidentifiable electrical smell in the cabin“, the company announced in the afternoon.
The Boeing 747-8 was on its way to Chicago in the USA. The “Bild” reported first.
Cause of smell unclear
According to Lufthansa, there was never any smoke on board. The cause of the smell is still unclear. Technicians examined the plane, which landed “normally” in Frankfurt.
The 320 passengers and 19 crew members left the plane in the usual way. They were supposed to continue their journey with a replacement plane in the evening.
Lufthansa said that the plane had turned around as a precaution. The safety of passengers and crew members is our top priority at all times.
According to “Bild”, which cited passengers, the smell appeared 90 minutes after takeoff. The plane was already over the Atlantic at that time.