FARO, Portugal – A Jet2 holiday flight bound for the Canary Islands was forced to make an emergency landing in southern Portugal on Wednesday morning after the crew reported a suspicious smell.
Flight LS3643, operated by a Boeing 737-800, was en route from Bournemouth (BOH) to Las Palmas (LPA) when the technical issue arose mid-flight.
Flight Path and Incident Timeline
The aircraft, registered as G-JZHZ, departed Bournemouth Airport at 09:53 BST today. After a routine takeoff, the flight climbed to a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet as it tracked south across the Atlantic, passing the coast of France.
The situation developed as the aircraft reached the airspace off the southern coast of Portugal. According to source familiar with the incident, the crew contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC) to report the smell of fumes detected on board.
Emergency Landing at Faro
As a precautionary measure, the pilots elected to divert to the nearest suitable airfield. Key details of the arrival include:
- Emergency Signal: The crew transmitted a Squawk 7700 code—the international signal for a general emergency—while on final approach.
- Vectoring: ATC provided priority vectoring for Runway 10 at Faro International Airport (FAO).
- Touchdown: The aircraft landed safely at 12:17 local time, approximately 2 hours and 24 minutes after its initial departure from the UK.
Current Status
As of Thursday, the Boeing 737-800 remains on the ground in Faro, where it is undergoing a thorough inspection by maintenance teams to identify the source of the fumes.
Jet2 has not yet confirmed when the aircraft will return to service, but passengers were reportedly transferred to a replacement aircraft to complete their journey to Las Palmas.
