Commercial Aviation
Boeing 757 Diverts To Italy After Engine Fire & Shutdown
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As a result, the plane stopped its climb and flew onward at a low altitude before making an early and unplanned landing in Brindisi. Given the relatively late hour at which this incident occurred, a replacement aircraft couldn’t be sourced until the morning. However, a lack of suitable hotel accommodation meant that some passengers were forced to spend the night on the floor before flying again.
What Happened?
Condor flight DE3665 is a weekly passenger flight that is scheduled to leave Ioannis Kapodistrias International (CFU) on the island of Corfu in Greece at 19:50 every Saturday evening. Its destination is Düsseldorf (DUS) in northwestern Germany, where it is scheduled to land at 21:35 local time, giving the service a block time of two hours and 45 minutes. On August 16, it was operated by a Boeing 757-300.
According to the Aviation Herald, there were 273 passengers and eight members of crew onboard the aircraft, which, per Flightradar24, bore the registration D-ABOK and left at 20:29. However, shortly after its departure, the jet’s right-hand engine emitted dramatic flames while making multiple bangs, prompting the crew to stop the climb at 8,000 feet and divert to Brindisi. Per RTL, a Condor spokesperson said:
“Condor dispatched a replacement aircraft [to] take passengers from Brindisi to Düsseldorf at approximately 10:30 [on Sunday]. We regret any inconvenience, but the safety of our passengers and employees is our top priority at all times.”
A Long Overnight Delay
According to data made available by Flightradar24, the stricken aircraft touched down at Brindisi Papola Casale Airport (BDS) in southeastern Italy at 20:02 local time on Saturday night, just over half an hour after its initial departure from Corfu. As noted above, the replacement jet would not come until Sunday. Per Condor, the engine fire was caused by airflow issues that sparked a chemical reaction.
According to aeroLOPA, Condor’s Boeing 757-300 aircraft have a maximum capacity of 275 seats, meaning that the 273 passengers onboard D-ABOK on Saturday represented a rather full flight. This caused some logistical issues as far as overnight accommodation in Brindisi was concerned, with Condor saying that “there wasn’t enough hotel capacity available locally, so not all guests could be accommodated.”
With this in mind, some passengers were faced with a night on the airport’s floor, for which, as Condor explains, “supply vouchers and blankets were [provided], and a few shops were also able to remain open.” According to RTL, passengers who were able to secure hotel accommodation are encouraged to submit evidence of their expenses to the airline in order for them to be able to claim compensation.
The Impacted Aircraft Remains On The Ground In Brindisi
At the time of writing, tracking data made available by Flightradar24 showed that D-ABOK was still on the ground in Brindisi, almost two days after its dramatic engine fire and shutdown forced it to make an unplanned diversion to southeastern Italy. According to ch-aviation, the jet is 25.5 years old, and one of seven examples of the rare stretched Boeing 757-300 in Condor’s fleet. These are its only Boeing aircraft.
For the onward flight from Brindisi to Düsseldorf, D-ABOK was replaced by another Condor Boeing 757-300, namely one that bears the registration D-ABOI. This plane, which features a blue edition of the German leisure carrier’s newer striped livery, flew in from Frankfurt on Sunday morning, arriving in Italy at 10:08 local time.
- First Delivery
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December 22, 1982
- Last Delivery
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November 28, 2005
- Number Delivered
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1,050
The Boeing 757 is an aircraft designed by Boeing.
While, as noted earlier in the article, Condor was initially planning for the flight from Brindisi to leave at 10:30 yesterday morning, this ultimately took place two hours later, at 12:31. After two hours and six minutes in the air, it reached Düsseldorf at 14:37, with the passengers finally reaching their destination 17 hours late.