World2fly A350 Bound for Santiago Returns to Madrid

A World2fly Airbus A350 bound for Santiago is currently in the process of returning back to Madrid, with the nature of the return unknown.

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2W3318 departed Madrid at 1725 CEST, then around two hours into its flight, it opted to return back to Madrid, with the aircraft not broadcasting an emergency squawk at this time.

The flight is being operated by EC-NOI, one of the airline’s Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

As per data from Planespotters.net, EC-NOI is a 2.4 year old airframe which was originally bound for Aeroflot, but was never taken up.

Therefore, the jet was delivered to World2fly in June 2021.

Updates: World2fly A350 Bound for Santiago Returns to Madrid…

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This is a developing story. Updates to follow shortly.

UPDATE #1 @ 2141 UK time – At this moment in time, the World2fly Airbus A350 is currently in a hold at FL150, presumably to either burn fuel or to wait for clearance to approach Madrid Barajas!

UPDATE #2 @ 2143 UK time – At this current moment, 2W3317 continues to hold to the south west of Madrid, with no clear indication yet what the issue is.

UPDATE #3 @ 2146 UK time – EC-NOI has now come out of the hold it seems, with a potential descent into Madrid imminent.

UPDATE #4 @ 2148 UK time – Or maybe not, it looks like the aircraft is extending its holding distance now, so again still unclear when the aircraft will be cleared back into the Spanish capital.

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UPDATE #5 @ 2156 UK time – Here is a timelapse, courtesy of RadarBox, of the flight’s overall progress from the departure, to turning back around, and then entering the hold over Madrid.

UPDATE #6 @ 2201 UK time – ADS-B data shows that when the aircraft was on its turn back to the Spanish capital, it made a rapid descent from FL380 down to FL180-190.

UPDATE #7 @ 2207 UK time – World2fly flight 2W3317 is still in the hold, and has not yet squawked an emergency code, meaning that whatever the issue is onboard, it is under control.

UPDATE #8 @ 2231 UK time – The aircraft is still in the hold to the south west of Madrid. The aircraft must be burning fuel at this stage, as it is a long flight to Santiago, Dominican Republic.

UPDATE #9 @ 2235 UK time – At the time of writing, EC-NOI has been in the air for over six hours, with still no signs of the aircraft exiting the hold.

UPDATE #10 @ 2245 UK time – Still no sign yet of the aircraft exiting the hold. It has gone around in circles around eight times so far.

UPDATE #11 @ 2250 UK time – Current METAR at Madrid is as follows:

Winds: 210@4kts, CAVOK, Temp 27, Dewpoint 14 – Weather looks okay so far for Madrid.

UPDATE #12 @ 2252 UK time – 2W3317 is now descending out of FL150 now, passing through 10-12,000, with the aircraft looking likely to come out of the hold.

UPDATE #13 @ 2254 UK time – Looks like the aircraft will still remain in the hold for now, but at a lower altitude and speed.

UPDATE #14 @ 2301 UK time – 2W3317 has left its current hold and is at FL110 currently, unclear whether it is going to make an approach into Madrid.

UPDATE #15 @ 2304 UK time – 2W3317 is now descending through FL100 and is heading in the direction of Barajas International Airport. As a recap, the World2fly aircraft was supposed to go to Santiago in the Dominican Republic.

UPDATE #16 @ 2309 UK time – 2W3317 is approaching base leg into Madrid Barajas International Airport. Short setup for approach looking likely.

UPDATE #17 @ 2314 UK time – World2fly 2W3317, originally bound to Santiago, is back on final to its origin point after nearly seven hours in the air.

UPDATE #18 @ 2319 UK time – TOUCHDOWN! World2fly flight 2W3317 has appeared to have landed safely after nearly seven hours flight time. Still awaiting the reasoning behind the return back to Madrid!