Title: Severe Disruption at Sandefjord Airport Torp: KLM Emergency Landing Halts Operations, Affecting 5000 Passengers
The runway at Sandefjord Airport Torp remained closed into Sunday afternoon following an emergency landing by a KLM flight on Saturday, leading to significant disruptions and thousands of passengers stranded.
Runway Closure Continues
As of Sunday morning, the aircraft still blocks the runway, forcing the cancellation of several flights. Tine Kleive-Mathisen, spokesperson for Torp, confirmed to Dagbladet that the airport remains closed to traffic.
"The closure affects approximately 5,000 passengers, unfortunately on a day with heavy traffic," Kleive-Mathisen said. She expressed optimism that the runway would reopen by 6 p.m., pending the successful removal of the grounded aircraft.
Emergency Landing Triggers Crisis
A KLM flight en route from Oslo to Amsterdam with 182 passengers on board was forced to make an emergency landing at Torp on Saturday after reporting a hydraulic malfunction. While the cause of the malfunction remains under investigation, police confirmed they had completed their work at the scene and released the aircraft to the relevant authorities.
Operations Work to Remove Aircraft
Marius Fosvold, operations leader at the South East police district, confirmed late Saturday night that the airport and airline would work together to remove the aircraft from the runway.
As of Sunday afternoon, Torp airport’s official website advised passengers to contact their airlines for updates on their flights. The airport urged passengers to expect delays and potential cancellations due to the ongoing disruptions.
