A Swiss International Airlines cabin crew member has died on board an airplane that was forced to make an emergency landing due to smoke inside the plane, the flag carrier said Monday.
The Airbus A220-300 jet, carrying 74 passengers and five crew members, was flying from Bucharest to Zurich on December 23 when it had to land in Graz, Austria, after experiencing engine trouble and smoke filling the cockpit and cabin. Fell. The plane landed safely.
“We must inform with extreme sadness and regret that our young colleague died on Monday in a hospital in Graz,” the Swiss said in a statement.
Swiss Chief Executive Jens Fehlinger said the loss had left the airline, a subsidiary of Germany’s Lufthansa, in shock and mourning.
“We are devastated by the death of our dear colleague,” he said.
“Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine. I express our heartfelt condolences to them on behalf of all of us in Switzerland.”
Swiss said in a statement that “out of respect for the loved ones, we will not provide detailed information about our employee or the cause of death.”
After the plane made an emergency landing, a member of the cabin crew was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Graz and taken into intensive care.
Another cabin crew member was also taken to hospital.
All passengers were evacuated and 12 were given medical aid. Swiss said Tuesday that all passengers who were hospitalized had been able to disembark.
Chief Operating Officer Oliver Buchhofer thanked the local emergency services in Graz who helped the passengers and crew.
“This is the saddest day for all of us,” he said.
“I am heartbroken and disappointed by the loss of our colleague and fellow member of our Swiss team.”
He said Swiss would “work with the relevant authorities to determine the reasons involved.”
Swiss said the focus of its investigation was on mechanical parts such as the aircraft’s engines, but also on the use of protective breathing equipment for cabin crew.
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