LONDON – Yesterday, a KLM Airbus A330 suffered a gear malfunction at St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport.
Comment from St. Maarten…
The relevant authorities from the St. Maarten-based airport said the following on social media in the early hours of this morning:
“On Sunday, February 26, 2023, confirmed reports from the PJIAE Airport Operations Tower declared that KLM Airbus Flight 729, with aircraft type (A-330-203), encountered a nose wheel steering system malfunction after it landed.”
“The aircraft landed at approximately 3:26 PM.”
KLM Flight KL729…
It is understood that PH-AOF is the KLM Airbus A330-203 that suffered the gear malfunction at St. Maarten.
PH-AOF operated KLM flight KL729 between Amsterdam and the popular Caribbean destination, having departed Amsterdam at 1125 local time.
KL729 landed in St. Maarten at 1613 local time, with a delay of around 30-35 minutes.
According to the data provided by the flight tracking company, PH-AOF was supposed to depart St. Maarten at 1825 local time but has not been tracked since, meaning the aircraft is still on the ground.
It is unclear when the aircraft will depart on the KL730 rotation back to Amsterdam Schiphol.
What Next?
Technicians will have to fix the malfunction caused in the landing gear of PH-AOF, the KLM Airbus A330-200.
At this stage, all eyes will be on the technicians to see how quickly they can fix the aircraft so then it can be sent back to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
This is a developing story. More to follow in due course.
