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What: Easyjet Airbus A320-200 en route from London Gatwick to Faro, Portugal
Where: La Rochelle France
When: Aug 19th 2009, 09:30 BST
Who: 165 passengers and 6 crew
Why: Over the Bay of Biscay, the flight crew detected the smell of something burning and declared an emergency. They diverted to La Rochelle France, where they landed safely. No injuries were reported. Passengers were provided an alternative Airbus six hours later although firefighters with heat sensitive cameras did not find a source for the smell. The Easyjet spokesman called it a ” a small electrical problem .”
George’s Point of View
Considering that the flight was an Airbus flying over the ocean, passengers were lucky.
American Airlines flight AA-9634 made an emergency landing in San Antonio, Texas, on December 13th.
United Airlines flight UA-779 had to return and make an emergency landing in San Francisco, California, on December 18th.
Austrian Airlines flight LX-780 returned to Zurich, Switzerland, on November 5th.