Flight LX8 from Zurich to Chicago flew a conspicuous route on Monday afternoon. The plane struggled with technical problems and had to drain fuel (“fuel dumping”), as Swiss confirmed to 20 minutes. The Airbus 343 took off from Zurich shortly after 1.30 p.m. and circled over Switzerland for around 90 minutes.
According to Swiss, the plane had hydraulic problems. A news scout told 20 minutes that an announcement had been made that there was a technical defect that made crossing the Atlantic impossible. The mood on board was not tense. “People were more concerned about getting on another flight to Chicago today,” the news scout said.
The plane landed back in Zurich at 3:10 p.m. Passengers will now board another aircraft and take off again at 5:30 p.m. The cause of the problem will now be investigated.
What is fuel dumping?
If an aircraft has to land again shortly after take-off for technical reasons, what is known as “fuel dumping” is first required. This process is necessary because an aircraft must not exceed a certain weight when it lands. A fully fueled plane is too heavy to land safely.
An air traffic controller directs the flying machine to a zone where it is then allowed to drain the fuel until it has reached the landing weight and can land.
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