An Icelandair Boeing jet had to make a safety landing this evening, shortly after taking off from Keflavík International Airport in Iceland.
The jet was on its way from Iceland to Orlando in the U.S. when it lost one of its eight rear wheels.
The aircraft circled around Keflavík Airport for approximately an hour in order to use up excess fuel before landing.
All available emergency services were on standby including the police, paramedics, the fire brigade, and ICE-SAR – Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue.
The Icelandair jet landed safely shortly after with what visually looked like a normal landing – all 190 passengers were in good health.
This is a rare occassion for both Icelandair and the emergency services at Keflavík Airport but all involved were well prepared and performed an excellent job, bringing the situation to a safe conclusion.
According to Guðjón Arngrímsson, Icelandairs’ Public Relations Officer, all of the passengers onboard are safe and will be boarding another flight this evening to take them to Orlando.