Eurowings flight EW168 to Seattle returns to Cologne after more than 8 hours in the air

Photo: © Paul Spijkers

Eurowings flight EW168 with destination Seattle was scheduled to depart from Cologne-Bonn Airport (CGN) at 2:00 PM (local time) on Monday. However, the departure was delayed by more than 8 hours due to a technical fault and eventually left Cologne at 10:25 PM (local time).

Approximately five hours after departure, the pilots were instructed to make a U-turn over Greenland and head back to Cologne: “Due to the delayed departure in Cologne, the US Border Force denied the landing in Seattle“, the German low-cost carrier announced on Twitter. The airline also admitted that its operation center was informed about the problem after two hours flight time. Because of the late departure, no U.S. Customs & Border Protection personnel would be available after landing.

„That’s frustrating, we understand” – Eurowings on Twitter

On Saturday, Eurowings had to cancel its flight between Cologne and Seattle as well. Passengers were rebooked on alternative flights (e.g. with Lufthansa) or on the said Eurowings flight on Monday.

The route between Cologne and Seattle was started in July 2017. SunExpress Germany is operating the flights on behalf of Eurowings using Airbus A330-200 aircraft.

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