Last night, a Jet2 flight from London Stansted was disrupted by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake in Rhodes, Greece.
Information has been released pertinent to this incident, which we will get into in this article.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
Jet2 Flight LS1449 – London Stansted to Rhodes…
Jet2 flight LS1449 is a routine scheduled flight between London Stansted and Rhodes, Greece.
Furthermore, the aircraft involved in the incident is registered as G-JZBS.
As per data from Planespotters.net, G-JZBS is a 5.4 year old Boeing 737-800 that was delivered to the airline in January 2019.
Of the 737-800 variant, Jet2 has 98 of them in their fleet.
Furthermore, of the 98, all but two are in active service, with an average fleet age of 14.7 years.
Other aircraft that the airline has in it’s fleet are:
- 7 Boeing 737-300s.
- 6 Boeing 757-200s.
- 2 Airbus A330-200s (On lease from AirTanker).
- 5 Airbus A321ceos.
- 8 Airbus A321neos.
Jet2 flight LS1449 departed London Stansted at 1650 local time yesterday and proceeded to Rhodes.
As per reporting from AirLive, it is understood that during the approach into the Greek island, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake occurred.
Furthermore, this caused the aircraft to perform a go-around due to the unstable conditions at the airport.
After one missed approach, Jet2 flight LS1449 from London Stansted landed safely into Rhodes at 2239 local time.
What Would Happen if the Earthquake Was Worse?
Rather than sensationalising, what would happen if the earthquake was worse?
Well, the airport would have closed, and the Jet2 flight from London Stansted would have to divert elsewhere.
Furthermore, if it was to divert, then the crew have enough fuel onboard to perform such an action.
If the aircraft landed and the earthquake was worse, then the aircraft would be stuck in Rhodes until conditions allowed a departure.
In this case, the crew made the correct call in performing a go-around due to the unstable conditions.
Go-arounds for any reason are a normal practice that pilots are trained for in the event of such conditions.
Earthquakes do have the tendency to damage airport infrastructure.
However, in this case, the earthquake wasn’t strong enough to cause damage to the point that a diversion was needed.
Aircraft Departed The Island Safely…
Despite this earthquake, the Jet2 flight did depart from Rhodes and headed back to London Stansted.
Furthermore, it only departed with a delay of around an hour, which in the context of the situation was pretty efficient.
G-JZBS has not been damaged at all during this, and has already operated flights today.
It has operated the LS1513 service to Menorca Island and is on the way back to Stansted at the time of writing (13/6/24 @ 1220 UK time).
Furthermore, it is then expected to operate the LS1421 service to Lanzarote, before coming back to Stansted.
Overall, this was a well-managed incident by the Jet2 crew, and no further incident has been reported as a result.
Looking ahead, all eyes will be on whether there will be anymore disruption following last night’s earthquake in Rhodes.
If another one happens in the days ahead, then we could see more go-arounds, which again is a normal practice.
Anything worse than the 4.8 magnitude earthquake could be detrimental to airport infrastructure.
If that does happen, then we could expect an airport closure and flights cancelled as a result.
All eyes will be on what comes next.
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