The crew member who died was one of two cabin crew hospitalised as a result of the incident which occurred on 23 December.
Smoke Reported in the Cabin and Cockpit Following Engine Issues
Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss) has issued a statement confirming the death of a cabin crew member who was onboard an Airbus A220-300 jet that was forced to make an emergency landing in Graz, Austria after smoke was reported in the cockpit and cabin.
Flight LX1885, travelling from Bucharest to Zurich, experienced engine issues before the aircraft was filled with thick clouds of smoke.
Upon arriving in Graz, the aircraft landed safely and all 74 passengers were evacuated.
Addressing the incident, Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger said:
“We are devastated at our dear colleague’s death. His loss has left us all in the deepest shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine. I offer them my heartfelt condolences on behalf of all of us at Swiss. And we will, of course, be doing everything in our power to help and support them at this extremely difficult time.”
Swiss Chief Operating Officer (COO) Oliver Buchhofer added:
“Losing our colleague and fellow member of our Swiss team leaves me distraught and dismayed. But we stand with one another at this truly difficult time; and we will be doing our utmost, together with the relevant authorities, to determine the causes involved. We have many questions, and we want them answered. Our special thanks go to the responsible parties in Graz, particularly the local emergency services, who have given our passengers and our crew members such professional help and support.”
An investigation is now underway to establish the cause of the incident.
A Series of Incidents
This fatality is one of a string of tragedies that occurred last month.
On 25 December, 39 people were killed when Azerbaijan Airlines international flight J2-8243 crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan while, in South Korea, 175 passengers and four crew members died after Jeju Air international flight 7C2216 crashed on 29 December.
In light of recent tragedies, what steps do you think need to be made to reassure passengers about flight safety? Share your opinions in the comment section below.
