On Thursday, the Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air had to make a return landing in the Austrian capital on flight W6 2857 from Vienna to Keflavik. The cause was a defective landing gear that could not be retracted.

The Airbus A321 with the registration HA-LXJ was affected. Due to the fact that the distance between the two cities is not exactly a stone's throw away, the tank level was high. In order to be able to make a safe landing in Vienna-Schwechat, this first had to be reduced. For this purpose, the machine was in the holding company over Austria for around 1,5 hours. This was used to burn the excess kerosene.

The HA-LXJ then landed safely at Vienna International Airport. The affected aircraft is now being examined and repaired by technicians. According to Wizz Air, the travelers were taken to their destination on a replacement plane.

Paulina Gosk, Corporate Communications Manager at Wizz Air, confirmed the incident to Aviation Direct and explains as follows: “Wizz Air flight W6 2857 from Vienna to Reykjavik returned to Vienna on July 29, 2021 for technical reasons. The aircraft landed without any problems and is now undergoing maintenance. In order to minimize the delay, the airline has provided a replacement aircraft in Vienna. In accordance with Wizz Air guidelines and EU regulation, passengers at the airport were provided with refreshments, informed of their rights and options, and offered an alternative flight or a full refund. Wizz Air sincerely apologizes to all passengers for the inconvenience this has caused, but the safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority. "