An Aer Lingus flight bound for Greece was forced to make an unexpected emergency landing at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol this morning following an inflight incident.
AMSTERDAM — Aer Lingus flight EI440, a scheduled service from Dublin Airport (DUB) to Athens International Airport (ATH), departed the Irish capital at 06:20 IST. The flight, operated by an Airbus A320 with registration EI-DEL, initially executed a routine departure, climbing out of runway 28L to a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet.
However, less than an hour into what was meant to be a four-hour journey, the flight crew broadcast an emergency situation by transmitting squawk code 7700, the international transponder code signaling a general emergency.
Flight tracking data showed the single-aisle aircraft executing a very rapid descent from its cruising altitude, coupled with a sharp turn away from its planned flight path toward southeastern Europe. Air traffic controllers redirected the aircraft toward the nearest suitable major hub: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).
The plane touched down safely on Schiphol’s runway 36C exactly 1 hour and 19 minutes after it initially left Dublin. Following a safe landing, the Airbus A320 taxied to gate D22, where it was met by airport ground teams.
Aer Lingus has not yet released an official statement confirming the precise nature of the emergency, whether it was caused by a technical malfunction or a medical issue on board. Information regarding replacement flight arrangements for the stranded passengers heading to Athens is expected later today.
