Swiss International Airlines has issued a statement confirming the death of a cabin crew member who was onboard an Airbus A220 that made an emergency landing due to smoke in the cabin and cockpit.
Two other cabin crew members are still in hospital as a result of the incident that occurred on 30th December with one in intensive care.
Swiss says that Airbus A220 was operating flight LX1885 from Bucharest to Zurich when smoke was reported in the cockpit and cabin following engine issues prompting the crew to divert to Graz.
The aircraft landed safely and all passengers were evacuated.
“We are devastated at our dear colleague’s death,” says Swiss CEO Jens Fehlinger. “His loss has left us all in the deepest shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine. I offer them my heartfelt condolences on behalf of all of us at Swiss. And we will, of course, be doing everything in our power to help and support them at this extremely difficult time.”
Swiss Chief Operating Officer (COO) Oliver Buchhofer added: “Losing our colleague and fellow member of our Swiss team leaves me distraught and dismayed. But we stand with one another at this truly difficult time; and we will be doing our utmost, together with the relevant authorities, to determine the causes involved. We have many questions, and we want them answered. Our special thanks go to the responsible parties in Graz, particularly the local emergency services, who have given our passengers and our crew members such professional help and support.”
The Airbus A220 is one of the most modern airliners in service today and has an excellent safety record. An investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the smoke and the effect it had on crew and passengers.
