A video shows Lufthansa’s Boeing 747 making a hard, bumpy landing at Los Angeles airport on Tuesday. Courtesy of Airline Videos Live via YouTube
Hundreds of passengers had to wait almost a day to continue their journey after their plane got stuck in the mud on Saturday while attempting to take off after a “stopover” in Kazakhstan.
Swiss International Air Lines Flight 161 was scheduled to travel from Tokyo to Zurich, but was instead stopped at Astana International Airport due to a medical incident, the airline confirmed to FOX Business.
“The affected passenger was handed over to medical staff on site,” Swiss International Air Lines said in a statement.
When the Boeing 777 prepared to take off again, the taxiway at Astana was closed, so the pilots had to try to turn the plane 180 degrees on the runway.
LUFTHANSA CONFIRMS BOEING’S ‘UNRESISTANT LANDING’ ‘TRAINING FLIGHT’ CAUGHT ON CAMERA PARKING OFF LAX LANDING GUN
A Swiss International Air Lines Boeing 777-300ER arrives at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, California, at the start of the Labor Day holiday on August 31, 2023. (AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)
“The plane’s nose wheel got stuck in the grass,” said one user on X. The post’s images show the plane stuck in the mud. It was towed back to the runway before being checked for damage.
As for passengers, Austrian Airlines stepped in to help its “sister airline,” the company confirmed to FOX Business.
“Austrian Airlines has sent a Boeing 777-200 to the Kazakh capital Astana to transport SWISS passengers to Vienna,” it said in a statement. The 331 passengers took off 20 hours after their first plane landed in Kazakhstan.
Swiss International Air Lines then sent another 777 from Vienna to Zurich.
Both Austrian and Swiss International Air Lines are part of the Lufthansa Group.
SWISS AIR PLANE FROM NYC TO ZURICH ABORTED AFTER 4 JETS GOT CLEARANCE TO CROSS TAKE-OFF AND LANDING PAPERS: REPORT
Swiss Air Boeing 777 at Los Angeles International Airport on June 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (FG/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)
“We thank all our passengers for their understanding and patience in this extraordinary and unforeseen situation,” Swiss told Business Insider. “We apologize again for any inconvenience. A big thank you also goes to all employees involved for their tireless and outstanding efforts.”
No passengers were injured and the stuck aircraft was allowed to resume flight operations after it was inspected by the airline’s technical specialists in consultation with Boeing and local and Swiss authorities.
A new crew from Swiss International Air Lines will transfer the aircraft to Zurich as soon as possible, the airline said.
In this photo illustration, the Swiss International Air Lines logo is displayed on a smartphone screen. (Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)
| ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DLAKY | LUFTHANSA AIRLINES | 6.27 | +0.07 |
+1.13% |
| PIG | SOLOWIN HOLDINGS | 2.62 | -0.31 |
-10.58% |
| BA | THE BOEING CO. | 179.99 | +3.58 |
+2.03% |
Already in April Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles had a “hard landing” at Los Angeles International Airport.
The Boeing 747-8 was caught on camera by LA-based airline Videos Live as it bounced off the runway and attempted to land again before taking off, circling the airport and finally landing safely after its second attempt.
Days earlier, a Swiss International Air Lines flight from New York City to Zurich had to abort takeoff to avert a “potentially dangerous situation,” the airline confirmed.
According to FlightAware, Flight LX17 from John F. Kennedy Airport left the gate at 4:21 p.m. on April 17. The plane was cleared for takeoff when an air traffic controller on a different frequency cleared four other jets to cross the runway, according to an audio recording obtained by NPR.
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“Due to the high level of situational awareness and quick response of our crew, a potentially dangerous situation was quickly de-escalated,” Swiss International Air Lines said in a statement to FOX Business.
