News
Mayday call told of an aircraft in trouble
The Emirates EK412 flight that made an emergency landing at BIA
Dr Kevin Appleton from Australia, heading for a medical conference in Manchester in England, was among 501 passengers and crew on the Emirates EK412 flight that made an emergency landing at Bandaranaike International Airport on Friday. Nine hours into the flight from Sydney to Dubai, Dr. Appleton suddenly drew attention to an unusual sound in the engine. “The sound from the engine was slightly different from the normal sound. Soon there was a flight announcement which said the aircraft was going to make an emergency landing,” he said.
Dr Kevin Appleton
Dr. Appleton, a psychiatrist, said the crew did not give the passengers information in order to keep them calm. The passengers were very concerned and were all looking at each other, worried about what was to come, he said. “My mind was constantly running to my two children throughout the incident,” Dr. Appleton said. After landing at the BIA the passengers felt relieved. They were given temporary accommodation in Colombo hotels and later sent to their destinations in two other Emirates craft.
G. Fernandez
G. Fernandez from Spain said his wife and children had been fast asleep when the crew woke them up, asking them to buckle on their seat belts as the plane was to make an emergency landing. “We didn’t feel any difference in the airplane but the video system and the TV was not functioning. We were in the lower deck so we could not feel that much of a commotion,” he said.
His wife, Ms L. Fernandez said they were returning to Spain with their son Louis and Irene after spending a year in Australia. She said Sri Lankan authorities and the airline had given them full support – a hotel and food – until they were given another plane.
Ms Plepa Takfield said she had become frightened when the flight announcement about an emergency landing was made and was happy that her 10-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter were safe.
Relieved passengers, including children, resting at the airport lounge before being taken to a hotel. Pix by Athula Devapriya
The Airport and Aviation Services had made full preparations for an emergency landing, BIA Manager H.S. Hettiarachchi said.
He explained that a mayday danger call had been received from the Emirates flight at 3.08am. The call was picked up by Ratmalana Airport and relayed to BIA. The aircraft had been 320 nautical miles (600km) away from Colombo at the time.
Mr. Hettiarachchi said the plane had been flying at 35,000 feet and desperately needed to land because the pilot had detected smoke in the cockpit.
He said security services, firefighter services and airport medical officials and other personnel worked to clear the runway to allow the large aircraft to land as easily as possible. Fire trucks had been in place. The Head of Fire and Rescue Services at Airport and Aviation Services, Nalin de Alwis Gunasekera, said the crew of the flight has managed to identify the technical failure and were able to successfully perform an emergency landing about 45 minutes after the mayday signal had been received.
L. Fernandez
The Head of Airport Aviation Medical Services, Dr S.T.A.S. NIshanthan said passengers were unharmed and in perfect condition, and he had not seen any one shocked or frightened. He said doctors, health officials, paramedics and ambulances had been on standby and the Negombo, Ragama and Colombo hospitals had been put on alert in case of injuries.
Emirates Airlines stated that that Flight EK412 from Sydney to Dubai was diverted to Sri Lanka due to a technical fault.