KLM flight KL743 (Boeing 777-300ER reg. PH-BVO), bound for Lima, Peru, returned to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Saturday after passengers and crew detected a strong, unpleasant odour mid-flight. About three hours into the journey near the Azores, the aircraft reversed course and landed safely at 17:15. No one was harmed.
KLM ruled out minor causes, saying the smell was serious enough to warrant the turnaround. The source of the odour remains unknown and is under investigation. The plane has been taken out of service for inspection, and passengers are being rebooked.
Safety was never compromised, KLM emphasised.
Comment: After a strong unpleasant odour was detected above the Azores, the passengers were forced to endure that mysterious odour for another three hours? It seems to me that the plane could have landed at Ponta Delgada, where KLM might have sent a replacement plane.
