Smoke panic as SWISS flight makes emergency landing in Graz
The SWISS Airlines flight from Bucharest to Zurich became a nightmare when thick smoke filled the cabin. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Graz, Austria. As a result of the incident, 12 passengers were injured, and one crew member was hospitalized in critical condition.
The incident occurred late in the afternoon on 23 December. According to witnesses, one of the engines exploded, causing a fire and filling the cabin with smoke. "There was a strange noise, a lot of smoke, people couldn’t breathe," one of the passengers told the Austrian portal Kleine Zeitung. Another added: "I was asleep when the smell of smoke woke me up. I panicked and didn't know what was happening."
Emergency landing
The crew immediately decided to divert the flight to Graz, where the plane safely made an emergency landing (approximately 1 hour and 37 minutes after taking off from Bucharest). All 74 passengers and five crew members were evacuated. Police confirmed that several people required medical assistance. Among them was a steward who was found unconscious during the evacuation and had to be resuscitated. He was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Graz, where he remains in intensive care.
In photos from the smoke-filled cabin, the fact that oxygen masks did not deploy from the ceiling is noticeable. Netizens are expressing outrage and questioning online why this happened. The airline has not addressed this issue.
SWISS Airlines expressed their solidarity with those impacted and conveyed their hopes for the recovery of their hospitalized colleague. The airline also confirmed that specialists support the hospitalized employee’s family.
The company sent a care team, technicians, and support staff to Graz to assist passengers and crew. Graz Airport was temporarily closed after the incident, causing delays and disruptions. SWISS Airlines organized a special flight on Tuesday, 24 December, in the early morning to transport passengers to Zurich, ensuring they reached their destination before the holidays.
An investigation into the cause of the engine failure and cabin smoke is ongoing, and the airline has pledged full cooperation with authorities.
