ISTANBUL- Flag carrier of UAE, Emirates (EK) Airlines flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Dubai (DXB) is diverted to Istanbul (IST). The flight is operated with the help of the largest passenger aircraft, Airbus A380.
The exact reason for the diversion is not known yet. But looking at the data from FlightRadar24 (FR24), it could be due to some medical emergency or technical issues.
Emirates San Francisco to Dubai Flight
The aircraft landed safely at the time of writing this article. Now, let us establish the flight timeline for this diverted flight.
According to FR24, Emirates flight EK226 took off from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) at around 12:15 AM UTC. After being airborne for almost 11 hours and 10 Minutes, at 11:25 AM UTC, the flight started its descent.
The flight was still far away from Dubai, but it was clear that something was not right with them. The flight crew contacted Istanbul (IST) ATC and asked for landing permission, and it landed safely at around 12:04 PM UTC, after around 12 hours from its departure.
The airline is yet to provide the details on this incident, and we will keep you posted once we have any confirmation and more information on this incident.
Further, the flight is operated by Airbus A380-842, registered as A6-EVQ. It is only 2 years and eight-month-old aircraft, Airbus delivered it to EK back in 2021.
A few weeks back, a drone collided with the Emirates A380 while landing at the Nice Airport (NCE) in France.
This is the developing post; stay tuned for the latest updates.
UPDATE 1: Emirates flight diverted to Istanbul as Child fell sick on flight. The child has been transported to the hospital. According to HavaSosyalMedya, the child is in better condition.
UPDATE 2: The flight is scheduled to depart for Dubai at around 16:30 local time.
A380 Collides with Drone
According to information from the Aviation Safety Network, the Airbus A380, with the registration A6-EOM, reportedly made contact with “a sizable drone” while conducting its landing at NCE on August 18, 2023.
As outlined in the report, a specific section of the leading-edge slats on the double-decker aircraft sustained damage due to the incident. The airline took prompt action, replacing the damaged parts at the airport on August 20, 2023.
Following the event, the aircraft remained grounded at the French airport. Tracking data from flightradar24.com revealed that Emirates flight EK78, scheduled to fly from NCE to Dubai International Airport (DXB), was canceled on August 18, 2023.
Subsequently, another Emirates Airbus A380, with the registration A6-EOB, executed the DXB-bound flight on the succeeding day.
“The flight to Dubai has been canceled due to technical reasons,” stated an NCE representative in an email response to AeroTime.
The aircraft with the registration A6-EOM remains stationed at NCE, with no forthcoming scheduled departure from the airport, as indicated by data from flightradar24.com.
Starting from August 19, 2023, three distinct Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft—A6-EOB, A6-EEC, and A6-EEV—have completed flights to NCE under the designation EK77.
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