SWISS Boeing 777. Photo: SWISS A Swiss airline SWISS plane en route from Chicago to Zurich was forced this morning to deviate from its route and make an emergency landing in the Azores after the crew detected a pungent, unidentified odor in the cabin.
The incident occurred when the Boeing 777 was about halfway over the Atlantic Ocean. The flight crew decided not to take any risks, and in coordination with air traffic control, declared an emergency to give the plane priority in the airspace.
The aircraft, registered HB-JNF, landed at 6:30 a.m. local time at Lajes Airport on the island of Terceira without further incident. After landing, the aircraft cleared the runway on its own.
There were 222 passengers and 16 crew members on board, including two pilots and 14 cabin crew. After landing, five passengers and one crew member were tested as a precaution after reporting brief symptoms including eye irritation, nausea or headaches. None of them required further medical attention, according to SWISS.
The airline emphasizes that it is unknown what caused the strong odor and that experts will conduct a thorough inspection of the plane. The company refuses to speculate at this stage about the source of the odor.
SWISS has prepared to fly the passengers back to Zurich. A rescue flight is expected to depart Zurich at around 1:00 PM, pick up the passengers and crew in Terceira and land in Zurich at around 10:15 PM.
Due to the operation of the replacement aircraft, flight LX8 from Zurich to Chicago and the return flight from Chicago to Zurich were canceled, and the company is working to find alternatives for passengers affected by the disruption.