Title: KLM Plane Stalls Runway at Sandefjord Airport; Thousands of Passengers Affected
The runway at Sandefjord Airport (Torrespond) remains closed since Sunday morning, following the emergency landing of a KLM flight that blocked the runway. This incident has led to numerous flight cancellations, with around 5,000 passengers being impacted.
"We are still working to remove the aircraft," said Tine Kleive-Mathisen, communications manager at Torp Sandefjord Airport, in an interview with Sandefjords Blad. The runway is expected to remain closed until 6 PM, she added.
KLM flight 1475, carrying 182 passengers from Oslo to Amsterdam, was forced to land at Torp on Saturday after reporting a hydraulic failure. The aircraft partially remained on the runway following the landing, necessitating its removal before normal operations can resume.
Both KLM and Statens Havarikommisjon (the Accident Investigation Board Norway) are involved in the ongoing process. Ms. Kleive-Mathisen further informed VG that several flights have been canceled and more disruptions are likely throughout the day.
Image: The route of the KLM flight can be seen in this satellite image from Flightradar24.
- Alternate text: Satellite image showing the route of the KLM flight.
- Photographer: Flightradar24
"We’re still working through the details," Ms. Kleive-Mathisen stated. "Airline companies need to decide whether to reroute flights to Oslo airport (Gardermoen) and arrange buses or alternative flights, and we’re not yet fully up to speed on that."
The airport was temporarily closed after the emergency landing, with several departures subsequently cancelled.
Local police confirmed to VG that their operations at the scene had concluded, and the aircraft was released in coordination with the Accident Investigation Board.
