Four Cypriot members of parliament experienced a terrifying emergency landing in Frankfurt on Sunday after their flight to Denmark was forced to turn back approximately 20 minutes after takeoff due to safety concerns.
The aircraft, carrying MPs Savia Orfanidou, Onoufrios Koulla, Andros Kafkalias and Chrysis Pantelides, departed Frankfurt airport normally en route to Billund, Denmark, but was ordered to return shortly after reaching cruising altitude, according to philenews information.
The MPs said that they did not notice any apparent problem during the flight.
Emergency services and fire crews greet plane on runway
The aircraft made an abrupt emergency landing, with fire crews and ambulances already positioned on the runway awaiting its arrival, the parliamentarians reported.
Following the aircraft’s emergency stop, passengers received immediate evacuation orders without being permitted to collect their personal belongings.
All passengers subsequently underwent medical examinations to check for potential respiratory problems, with authorities questioning whether there had been smoke or fumes during the flight.
The Cypriot delegation was travelling as part of a parliamentary mission outside Cyprus when the incident occurred.
The four parliamentarians stayed in Frankfurt following the incident. They are scheduled to depart for Denmark on a replacement flight at 12:00 local time today, according to their revised travel plans.
