Etihad plane bound for Madrid forced to return to Abu Dhabi due to technical problems

One Etihad Airways The flight to Madrid had to return Abu Dhabi after a technical issue on Tuesday.

While EY075 was near Doha, the crew “screamed” the 7700 on the radio – indicating a general emergency – and returned to the UAE capital shortly after takeoff at 3.10am GST.

Tracking site Flight Radar24 showed the Dreamliner had rapidly descended to 10,000 feet, but gave no further details.

“Due to technical issues, Etihad Airways flight EY075 was flying from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to Madrid (MAD) on 1 November and returned to Abu Dhabi shortly after takeoff,” Etihad told Reuters National.

“The plane landed normally in Abu Dhabi and the guests returned to the terminal.”

Sudden drops in altitude are uncommon in aviation.

In the event of cabin decompression, the flight crew immediately descends to an altitude where they can breathe without additional oxygen, usually around 10,000 feet, as long as the surrounding terrain allows.

Etihad Airways said passengers would continue to Madrid on another flight on Tuesday morning.

Flight tracking data showed that the flight took off again at 9 am EST and was expected to land in Madrid at 1:53 pm.

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Updated: 11/1/2022 9:20am