An Airbus A330 to San Juan returned to Madrid only few minutes after departure.
An Iberia Airbus A330-300 returned to Madrid shortly after departure from runway 36L on 9 November after a strong burning smell was detected in the cabin.
The aircraft (registered EC-LUX) was operating Flight IBE381 from Madrid (MAD) to San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) when the incident occurred. The aircraft had climbed to roughly 4,000 feet when the odour was reported, prompting the crew to discontinue the climb and request an immediate return.
Firefighters and airport emergency teams were positioned on standby for the aircraft’s arrival and attended the A330 on landing on runway 32L.
Iberia has not yet released details about the cause of the smell or any subsequent maintenance findings. Passengers were to be re-accommodated once the airline completed mandatory inspections and operational checks following the return.
