The Airbus A340-300 with the registration HB-JMD, operated by Edelweiss Air, is stranded at Phuket Airport in Thailand. The four-engine aircraft has a technical defect that must be repaired for safety reasons. This aircraft was actually supposed to fly from Thailand to Zurich on Thursday as WK51. But that did not happen, because the Airbus A340-300 in question is said to have suffered unspecified damage during the outbound flight. For safety reasons, this must be repaired before the next take-off. This requires one thing in particular: time. The matter is quite unpleasant for the passengers affected, because flight WK51 had to be cancelled. Due to the fact that competitors' flights to Switzerland and Europe are very heavily booked, the idea of ​​many travelers that they can be quickly rebooked onto other flights is more of an illusion. According to local media reports, a "short-term replacement flight" is not expected and rebookings to other carriers will not be possible before Monday or Tuesday, at least not for all passengers, as very few seats are available on flights operated by competitors.