On December 23, 2024 a Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) Airbus A220-300 (Registration: HB-JCD) was operating flight LX 1885 from Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport (OTP) to Zurich Airport (ZRH) was forced to divert to Graz Airport (GRZ) in Austria after the cockpit and passenger cabin became filled with smoke.
74 passengers and 5 crew were onboard the aircraft at the time of the incident. Twelve passengers and four crew received medical treatment at the scene while one crewmember was transported to the hospital via helicopter.
Unfortunately, SWISS released a statement on social media earlier today stating that the crewmember sustained fatal injuries and has passed away. This makes it the third deadly aviation incident in the span of a week, along with the downing of an Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 and the crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737.
With great sadness, we must share that we have lost a dear colleague following the emergency landing of LX1885 on 23 December 2024. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the family and loved ones of our colleague during this difficult time. More: https://t.co/KaNlEtZZIj pic.twitter.com/X5SrBs5Mtq
— Swiss Intl Air Lines (@FlySWISS) December 30, 2024
In a statement, SWISS declined to give any information regarding the cause of death of the crewmember, only stating that it was a young man. This is the first incident related death for the Airbus A220. CEO Jens Fehlinger had this to say about the loss of a crewmember:
“We are devastated at our dear colleague’s death. His loss has left us all in the deepest shock and grief. Our thoughts are with his family, whose pain we cannot imagine. I offer them my heartfelt condolences on behalf of all of us at SWISS. And we will, of course, be doing everything in our power to help and support them at this extremely difficult time.”
The investigation into the initial incident is still ongoing and the aircraft involved appears to still be on the ground in Graz. SWISS sent a replacement aircraft to pick up stranded passengers from the original flight on December 24th. This post will be updated with additional information as it is received and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the crewmember that passed.
Summary
A Swiss International Air Lines Airbus A220-300 operating flight LX 1885 between Bucharest and Zurich was forced to make an emergency landing in Graz, Austria when smoke filled the cockpit and cabin of the aircraft. Of the 79 individuals on board, one was transported to a local hospital and has now passed away. This marks the third deadly aviation incident in less than a week after incidents in Kazakhstan and South Korea.
My deepest condolences to the young man’s family. May he rest in peace.