Italy-bound flight lands back in Germany due to closed airport

An Italy-bound flight had to fly back to the airport it departed from hours later due to the closure of the intended destination in the Italian island of Sardinia.

According to German airline Eurowings, Flight EW9844 departed on Saturday from Dusseldorf and intended to land at Olbia Airport in Sardinia. The plane entered Sardinian airspace before the crew was informed by an air traffic controller that the airport was closed to commercial traffic.

The Airbus A320 with only two passengers on board landed back in Dusseldorf four hours and 10 minutes after its departure.

A Eurowings representative said the incident stemmed from a misunderstanding.

“Against the background of the corona crisis, the situation at numerous airports in Europe is very dynamic,” the representative said.

“The large amount of information provided on operating hours or airport closures are often changed at short notice.”

The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation had ordered for reopening Olbia Airport on May 17, but the decision was overruled by a regional authority on the same day. The airport is currently scheduled to remain closed until June 2.

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