Sri Lankan airlines flight makes emergency landing in Melbourne amid smoke

Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Flight UL605 bound for Sri Lanka made an emergency landing in Melbourne due to cabin smoke, caused by a technical issue with air conditioning.

A flight destined for Sri Lanka was forced to execute an unscheduled landing at Melbourne’s airport following the detection of smoke within the aircraft’s interior.

The flight, operated by Sri Lankan Airlines and designated UL605, had to return to Melbourne’s airport shortly after its departure from Tullamarine on a Monday evening.

During the flight, passengers aboard the Airbus A330-30 noticed the presence of smoke and a distinct smell emanating from the cabin and observed additional smoke issuing from the cockpit area. This situation led the pilot to issue an emergency alert approximately 30 minutes after takeoff.

For nearly an hour, the plane remained airborne, circling before it made its way back to Melbourne’s airport by 7:20 pm, following the activation of the emergency signal 7700. This signal is a universal distress code that signifies an aircraft requires immediate and prioritized assistance from air traffic control due to an emergency situation.

The plane managed a safe and routine landing, allowing passengers to exit the aircraft normally.

The airline attributed the emergency to a “technical issue” that is under evaluation by a technical crew.

A passenger recounted the uncertainty following the incident, discussing the time taken to determine whether the flight could proceed to Sri Lanka that evening or if accommodations were necessary. Despite initial confusion, it was ultimately decided that passengers would stay in Melbourne.

In a message shared on X, the passenger commended the crew for their effective management of the situation, mentioning that the captain had identified a problem with the air conditioning system.

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