Plane operated by TAP airline returns to Lisbon airport due to unpleasant odor.
TAP Air Portugal confirms that a flight from Lisbon to Vienna safely returned to Lisbon, following the occurrence of some odor issue. An official source from the airline told Lusa that passengers have since continued their journey on another plane. The initial flight, TP1272, took off at 2:13 pm, only to return just over an hour later, as per data provided by FlightRadar24.
This incident is not the first time TAP has experienced such odor concerns. On April 17, the airline admitted awareness of previous episodes of odors that led to emergency landings, recognizing that these issues were occurring in a small percentage of flights and were widespread across the sector.
On April 16, a TAP Airbus A320 plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport in Porto due to inhalation of fumes. Going back further to March 11, a TAP Airbus A321neo, carrying 192 passengers, diverted to Porto after taking off from Lisbon en route to London. This move was due to an alleged presence of fumes on board and indisposition of some crew members, according to the Office for the Prevention and Investigation of Aircraft and Railway Accidents (GPIAAF) quarterly bulletin.
Prior to these incidents, there had been issues with smells in the aircraft on the two previous flights of the same day. On the first flight between Lisbon and Funchal, suspicious smells in the cabin rear were reported, while on the second flight, from Funchal to Lisbon, unusual smells were reported during takeoff but soon dissipated. Despite these reported issues, maintenance services found no anomalies in the inspection of engines and the Auxiliary Power Unit in Funchal.
Records from the European database revealed 1,249 such occurrences in 2024.
In addressing these odor incidents, TAP follows strict safety protocols that involve immediate assessment of the situation, often leading to precautionary returns or diversions. The aircraft undergoes thorough internal maintenance and safety inspections before resuming service. The airline collaborates with aviation authorities to ensure compliance with safety standards before the aircraft resumes operations. Crew training emphasizes prompt identification and response to unusual odors or potential smoke to maintain passenger and crew safety.
In the aviation industry, TAP Air Portugal has experienced multiple incidents involving odor issues, leading to emergency landings and precautionary returns, as evident in the recent flight TP1272 from Lisbon to Vienna. These incidents not only impact the airline's finance and transportation services but also highlight the need for rigorous safety protocols in the aviation sector.
