Lufthansa flight LH403, operated with a Boeing 747-8, had to turn around on August 22, 2022 en route from New York-Newark to Frankfurt am Main and make a safety landing at Boston Airport. Initially, there were reports of possible smoke formation in the cockpit area.

At first it looked like a typical routine flight on board the D-ABYK, because this connection even had the delay that is now almost customary in the industry. About 50 minutes after takeoff, the captain decided to turn back. Boston was selected as the alternate airport.

According to Lufthansa, the cockpit crew noticed a “technical irregularity” and therefore decided to declare an emergency in order to be able to land at Logan International Airport with priority. The Boeing 747-8 touched down safely at around 22:17 p.m. local time. Local media claim smoke was visible around the cockpit and the pilots were wearing oxygen masks.

A spokesman for the airline Kranich officially explains: “Lufthansa flight LH403, en route from New York (EWR) to Frankfurt (FRA), was diverted to Boston (BOS) due to a technical irregularity. As a precaution and in accordance with priority landing procedures, the flight deck crew declared an air emergency. The plane landed normally in Boston and all passengers disembarked normally. A maintenance team is currently inspecting the aircraft. The passengers are rebooked on other flights. We regret the inconvenience caused, the safety of our passengers and crew is our top priority at all times."