EK 35 diverted to Trabzon

[superwoman1989]

Anyone know what caused EK35 from DXB-NCL to divert to Trabzon in Turkey? Bit of an out of the way place for a medical diversion? We have a friend on the flight.

[macdo]

I'm not particularly interested in the why it diverted here, but I'd love to know from the crew what the operational experience of diverting here was like.
I have been flying East a lot this winter using the route through eastern Turkey, Iran then either Pak or the Emirates to India. We pass a lot of potential div's along the way, many of which look inhospitable.

[lansen]

Trabzon is actually a quite nice place to be. :ok:

[Logohu]

Trabzon is actually a quite nice place to be.

Indeed it is, I'd much rather go there than NCL in February :hmm:

[MumbaiRadio]

A few years ago we had a 777 diverting there due to an engine failure. Guess it's a decent airport.

[TheLambtonWorm]

According to Emirates website it was diverted for 'operational reasons'.

[White Knight]

An EK 330 also diverted there (if memory serves me correctly) a good 10 years or so ago after an engine failure in cruise; it's a good diversion airfield by all accounts but I don't imagine it would be for a medical diversion!

[andrasz]

it's a good diversion airfield by all accounts but I don't imagine it would be for a medical diversion!


Why not ? It is a fairly large city with several facilities catering to medical tourism (a large part of the ME and Central Asia travels to Turkey for quality medical care), and in fact in a smaller city airport to hospital access is much faster than in a major place like Istambul & Ankara with the clogged roads.

[MATELO]

Flight EK35 was due to land at Newcastle Airport from Dubai at 11.30am but Emirates say the pilot was forced to divert the plane to Turkey for operational reasons.

A passenger on the plane, Newcastle businessman Meenu Malhotra, said there was a “burning smell” coming from the lavatories.

Around 250 passengers, including Mr Malhotra, are currently stranded at Trabzon Airport and Emirates has said that the flight will now not be due into the North East until 8.50pm.

Mr Malhotra said: “It landed after smoke and a burning smell came from the lavatories.

“About 250 passengers are in the middle of nowhere, passengers are having to sit on the floor and the airline is not providing any support.

“Airline personnel say they don’t know what the technical fault was that caused the burning smell.”

An Emirates spokesman said: “Emirates flight EK35 departed from Dubai to Newcastle at 07:25 and was diverted to Trabzon, Turkey due to a technical fault.

“The flight landed uneventfully in Trabzon and passengers and crew were safely disembarked.

“A recovery flight has in the meantime been launched from Dubai to Trabzon, which will fly all passengers onwards to Newcastle as EK35, with a departure in Trabzon at 18:00 local time.

“Emirates apologises for the inconvenience caused.

“The safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost importance and will not be compromised.”

Flight EK35 bound to Newcastle from Dubai forced to land due to technical fault - Chronicle Live (http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/flight-ek35-bound-newcastle-dubai-10837419)

[ATNotts]

Flight EK35 bound to Newcastle from Dubai forced to land due to technical fault - Chronicle Live (http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/flight-ek35-bound-newcastle-dubai-10837419)

What exactly do the expect - pink elephants?!

Some passengers really need to get a grip on reality. Would they have preferred the aircraft to have carried on regardless to somewhere more hospitable, but fall out of the sky before it got there???

[Hotel Tango]

and the airline is not providing any support.

Typical idiotic statement! Obviously the airline has no ground personnel nor any contract with a handling company. I'm sure that all that can possibly be done is being done - and they are sending another aircraft to pick up the stranded pax. As said above, some people really need to get a grip with reality in these circumstances. But hey, all the BS statements do sell newspapers! :hmm:

[Chronus]

Some Turkish news channels report smoke on the flight deck an others pax requiring medical attention. Take your pick.

So far as is it a nice place to go, last time I had to go there and that`s more than ten years ago, there was a desk on the air side of the arrivals hall with a notice which read "you may collect your guns here". Unusual sort of "welcome to our historic city" were my immediate thoughts at the time.

[Barcli]

Divv'd there about 9 years ago as Yerevan was fogged out and couldnt use Baku ( political reasons) - all very good as I recall - considering was unexpected - modern aids - good handling - catering uplift would be about 4 hrs though - left direct LHR with no catering, just nibbles and nuts but very happy pax

[golf yankee one one]

I do think that for someone from Newcastle to describe Trabzon (Trebizond) as "the middle of nowhere" smacks rather of cultural imperialism.

Trabzon has been an important city for about 2500 years, and has a current population of over 1 million.

[Dairyground]

Trabzon has been an important city for about 2500 years, and has a current population of over 1 million.


Whereas Newcastle has only been an important place for about 2000 years.

[TURIN]

Ah yes, the old Newcastle v Trabzon debate. It never gets old. :rolleyes:

[Momoe]

Turin,

Dry as dust my friend but brilliant never the less

[N707ZS]

It goes back to the Roman days, the Roman's should have built the wall South of Newcastle and we could of manned it to this day! Whilst at Trabzon they probably just liked the place.

[Pontius]

Turin, :)

N707ZS, 'have', not 'of'.

Pontius,
Grammar Police Inspector :8

[cprior]

If you ever travel through, don't miss out on the old Turkish bath house experience, kinda Roman style low-steam bath.

And to those who have good things to say about the hospitals in Turkey: They have this mobile-text-based system of appointment reminders and all such.

And unlike AER less of a visa hassle, plus a very good chance to find English language skills.

[Aluminium shuffler]

And to those who have good things to say about the hospitals in Turkey: They have this mobile-text-based system of appointment reminders and all such.

And unlike AER less of a visa hassle, plus a very good chance to find English language skills.Actually, for those who think that there would be a problem with medical treatment in Turkey, I'd remind them that continuing to the UK would mean using the NHS. That would probably mean waiting a month for an appointment and a further six for any treatment if you were lucky enough to get any, and based on my experience, you'd have a 50/50 chance of having a doctor that can spell their own name, let alone correctly diagnose the problem.

Oh, and the standard of English in Turkey is much higher than in England. :(

[Chronus]

What else is Trabzon renown for, a little more akin to aviation than hamams (that`s the Turkish version of the Roman baths) perhaps.

Back in May 2007 a Sky Arrow 650 , some kind of a light job, went down in the high terrain around Trabzon. A Brit named Michael A. Newman and his friend a Pakistani light general , both private pilots lost their lives.

Here is the link to the story.

Benhall: Businessman and pilot Michael Newman?s death was a ?tragic accident? - coroner - News - East Anglian Daily Times (http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/benhall_businessman_and_pilot_michael_newman_s_death_was_a_t ragic_accident_coroner_1_1432459)

Mystery of Briton's death in air crash - Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/1551878/Mystery-of-Britons-death-in-air-crash.html)

It is the sort of place where the combination of sea and mountains makes for fickle weather all year round.

[cprior]

It is the sort of place where the combination of sea and mountains makes for fickle weather all year round.

Fickle weather, good for the tea plantations. So probably a good british destination after all? ;)

[Chronus]

Fickle weather, good for the tea plantations. So probably a good british destination after all? ;)

Capital idea ! Afternoon tea and simits to the caterwauling of a string quartet of saz players. Must drop a line in the suggestion box.