The plane was en route to Addis Ababa from New Delhi, India.
Flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines (ET) flight operated by Boeing 787 from Delhi Airport (DEL) to Addis Ababa (ADD) made an emergency landing back at DEL after the flight crew witnessed smoke inside the cockpit.
The Africa’s largest carrier operates two daily flights between Delhi and Addis Ababa. Further, it deploys its widebody fleet, including Boeing 787-8, 787-9, and sometimes 777.
According to India Today, a passenger who was on the flight informed that the aircraft returned to the airport shortly after takeoff and performed an emergency landing. The passenger, requesting anonymity, mentioned, “There was smoke, and a lot of passengers became anxious.”
According to sources, there were over 240 individuals on board the flight. Now, let us establish a flight timeline using FlightRadar24 data.
Ethiopian Airlines flight ET687 took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi (DEL) at around 9:16 PM UTC. Immediately after takeoff, the flight crew detected smoke inside the cockpit. The flight reached 7,000 feet and immediately decided to make an emergency landing.
Subsequently, the flight returned to Delhi at around 9:32 PM UTC, within 16 minutes of departure.
The aircraft involved in the incident is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, registered as ET-AOR. Further, it is an 11-year-old aircraft and is named ‘Addis Ababa.’ As per FR24 data, the aircraft is still on the ground at Delhi Airport.
Ethiopian Airlines didn’t disclose any information about the incident.
