A Scandinavian Airlines System long-haul flight bound for Tokyo was forced to turn back to Copenhagen Airport following an in-flight engine problem over Poland.
COPENHAGEN — Flight SK983, operated by an Airbus A350-900 (registration SE-RSF), departed Copenhagen Airport (CPH) from runway 22R today at 13:04 local time, setting off on what was scheduled to be a 12-hour and 35-minute journey to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (HND).
The modern twin-jet climbed to a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. However, roughly one hour into the flight while transiting Polish airspace, the flight crew received indications of a loss of oil pressure in one of the aircraft’s Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.
In accordance with standard safety procedures, the crew safely shut down the affected engine and initiated an immediate U-turn back toward Denmark. Modern twin-engine airliners like the A350 are fully certified to fly safely for extended periods on a single engine.
The aircraft made a routine approach and safely touched down on Copenhagen’s runway 22L at 15:14 local time, exactly 2 hours and 10 minutes after takeoff. Emergency services met the aircraft upon arrival as a standard precaution, though the landing was completed without further incident.
SAS confirmed the diversion shortly after arrival, noting that the return was precautionary. The airline worked to swap aircraft and re-accommodate passengers, targeting a rescheduled departure for Tokyo at 16:00 local time.
