A KLM flight between Amsterdam and Shanghai suffered a technical issue pertinent to its transponder, prompting a return to the Dutch capital.
Incident: KLM Flight Amsterdam-Shanghai Suffers Technical Issue…
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KLM flight KL895 is a routine scheduled flight between Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and Shanghai, with the affected rotation being operated by PH-BQP.
As per data from Planespotters.net, PH-BQP is a 16.6 year old Boeing 777-200 that was first delivered to the Dutch carrier back in April 2007.
Of that variation of aircraft, the Dutch airline has 15 of them, of which 14 are in active service and one is currently parked.
Across that variant of aircraft in the KLM fleet, the average age is 18.8 years.
As per The Aviation Herald, KL895 suffered the failure of one transponder upon entering Turkish airspace.
Air traffic controllers in Turkey did not give the aircraft permission to continue into its airspace, which prompted the Shanghai-bound flight to turn back to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
When in German airspace, PH-BQP entered a u-turn south and then north, before continuing westwards to Schiphol.
The crew onboard KL895 told Amsterdam Approach that they had one functioning transponder, but because of the failure of the other, it didn’t display on ADS-B receivers.
KL895 landed safely into the airport around five and a half hours after departure, with the flight to Shanghai subsequently cancelled as a result.
PH-BQP was back in service by the evening the next day following this failure. It is understood the aircraft was grounded for 22 hours as a result.
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