A SWISS Boeing 777-300ER, operating LX9 between Chicago and Zurich, rejected its takeoff due to a flock of birds on the runway.
Incident: SWISS Flight in Chicago Rejects Takeoff…
As per The Aviation Herald, LX9 was rolling down Runway 09C when the crew rejected its takeoff at around 130 knots.
No fire was reported, but due to the heavy braking on the rejected takeoff at Chicago O’Hare, the aircraft’s brakes needed to be cooled down.
It is understood that this incident caused a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop for 30 minutes, which caused aircraft go-arounds so that the fire department at the airport could check the aircraft for any damage or fires.
Once checks were completed, which featured no fires, operations were allowed to resume out of Chicago O’Hare.
At the time of writing (09/09/2023 @ 1000 UK time), HB-JNL is still believed to be on the ground at O’Hare, with no indication of when the aircraft will continue on to Zurich.
As per data from Planespotters.net, HB-JNL is a 3.7-year-old Boeing 777-300ER that was delivered to SWISS back in December 2019.
The aircraft seats eight people in First Class, 62 in Business, 24 in Premium Economy, and 226 in Standard Economy.
SWISS operates services between Chicago O’Hare and Zurich on a daily basis, using its Boeing 777-300ER for such services.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on the aircraft to see when it departs the airport again, as it is unclear whether the brakes or any tires need to be replaced as a result of this incident.
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