The risk was assessed by the crew on the day using information from various inputs and a decision was made.
The problem with this - in ANY airplane - is that the information available
might not reveal the complete picture. Having met Murphy on several occasions, I can tell you that I would have not continued the flight (based on the limited info given).
Other (very delicate) question that comes into mind is does EK put any whatsoever pressure on their crews to bring an aircraft back into base? Having worked for various US and UK companies I have always felt a certain vibe from engineering to bring the plane back to base...
