A technical issue forced airBaltic Flight BT997 to return to Vilnius after three-hour holding pattern in middle of the night.
VILNIUS – An airBaltic flight bound for Dubai was forced to perform an emergency return to Vilnius International Airport (VNO) early Thursday morning following a suspected technical malfunction shortly after departure.
Flight Timeline
The flight, BT997, operated by an Airbus A220-300 (registration YL-ABK), departed Vilnius at 23:11 UTC on Wednesday, January 28. The aircraft initially climbed toward its cruising altitude, reaching Flight Level 350 (approximately 35,000 feet) while over northeastern Poland, near Warsaw.
However, just five minutes after reaching cruise altitude, the crew initiated a sudden U-turn over Warsaw, Poland, back toward Lithuania.
Three-Hour Holding Pattern
Upon returning to Lithuanian airspace, the aircraft did not land immediately. Instead, it descended to 10,000 feet (FL100) and entered a prolonged holding pattern near Kaunas.
For approximately three hours, the Airbus A220 circled at low altitude. Aviation experts suggest this maneuver was likely performed to burn off fuel. Because the aircraft was heavily laden for the long-haul journey to Dubai, it would have been above its maximum structural landing weight shortly after takeoff.
- 01:50 UTC: The aircraft was confirmed to still be in the holding pattern at 10,000 feet.
- 02:30 UTC: The crew broke the pattern and began the final approach to Vilnius.
- 02:45 UTC: The flight landed safely back at Vilnius International Airport.
Probable Cause
While airBaltic has not yet released a formal statement detailing the specific failure, the circumstances strongly point to a technical issue. Weather conditions in the region were reported as clear and stable at the time of the incident, ruling out meteorological factors for the diversion and holding period.
The aircraft involved, YL-ABK, is a modern Airbus A220-300, a cornerstone of airBaltic’s all-Airbus fleet. Ground crews are expected to inspect the aircraft today to determine the nature of the malfunction.
