Lufthansa plane forced to divert due to ‘undefinable smell from kitchen’ topic



Air passengers are used to being subjected to lengthy delays and unscheduled stops, but this may be the first time a plane has been grounded with a smelly kitchen.


German airline Lufthansa has revealed that one of its planes has been forced to land after cabin crew reported an ‘undefinable smell’ from the kitchen.


A Lufthansa flight was forced to make an unscheduled stop after a strange smell began emanating from the kitchen.
A Lufthansa flight was forced to make an unscheduled stop after a strange smell began emanating from the kitchen.

The plane was en route from Frankfurt to Madrid when on-board staff noticed the strong odour, which was reported to the pilot.


It was decided the plane should be landed for further investigation, and the Airbus 320 touched down in Zurich at 8.25am local time (07:25 BST), airport spokeswoman Jasmin Bodmer confirmed.


While Lufthansa spokesman Peter Schneckenleitner says the move was ‘purely precautionary’ and all 85 passengers and six staff left the aircraft normally, three members of the cabin staff were then taken to hospital complaining of respiratory irritations.


They are being kept under observation by doctors, while the passengers were booked onto other – hopefully less pungent – flights to Madrid.


Earlier this year, the pilot of a flight from Paphos to Gatwick had to make an unscheduled stop after seeing a rat in the cockpit of his aircraft.


British tourists were left stuck in Cyprus for 24 hours while the plane was searched for stowaway rodents.