An easyJet Airbus A320-200 departing London for Bordeaux, France made a return to Gatwick after reporting fumes and smoke on board on 29 September 2024.
easyJet Europe flight U28380, an Airbus A320-200 bound for Bordeaux-Merignac Airport, had conducted a departure from London Gatwick Airport.
easyjet U28380 London-Bordeaux
During the climb after takeoff, flight crew reported the presence of fumes and then smoke in the cockpit.
The flight crew then elected to make a precautionary return to the origin airport. The flight landed without further incident on runway 08R just under 30 minutes after its initial departure.
According to the online source Aviation Herald, the airline subsequently confirmed the incident, describing “a technical issue which resulted in the smoke smell”.
The outwards flight to Bordeaux was subsequently cancelled as a result of the technical problem.
Flight Details
Flight data shows that flight U28380 had made a delayed departure out of London Gatwick Airport. The actual time of departure was logged as 1801 local time on 29 September. Scheduled departure time for the service was listed as 1655 local time.
Following its takeoff, the flight had climbed to the flight level FL120 (12,000 feet) before flight crew terminated the climb procedure. A direct return was then initiated to London Gatwick airport.
The aircraft conducting the U28380 service to France was an Airbus A320-200, registered OE-IJV. This is a 7.6 year old narrowbody aircraft belonging to the carrier easyJet Europe.
It has been in operational service with the airline since its initial delivery from the factory in February 2017.
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