Latest news with #Flight780
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
American Airlines sends jet too large for Naples, diverts flight to Rome
The Boeing 787-9 is 20 feet longer than the plane that typically operates Flight 780. PHOTO: AVIATION AZ Listen to article An American Airlines transatlantic flight bound for Naples, Italy, was forced to divert to Rome after the airline dispatched an aircraft too large for the intended airport, resulting in passengers being bused over two hours to their final destination. Flight 780 departed Philadelphia on Monday evening at 19:42 local time, scheduled to land in Naples at 10:00 Tuesday morning. However, just 70 miles from its destination, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner veered away from the southern Italian city and diverted north to Rome Fiumicino Airport, landing at approximately 09:45. American Airlines attributed the diversion to 'operational limitations.' Flight data reviewed by aviation tracking service Flightradar24 confirms that the aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-9, a variant typically longer than the Boeing 787-8, which usually serves the route. While both aircraft share similar wingspans, the 787-9 is 20 feet longer and, crucially, requires a higher category of emergency services to be on standby during landing. According to standards set by Boeing and the International Civil Aviation Organization, the 787-9 requires a Category 9 rescue and firefighting service (RFFS), whereas Naples International Airport provides Category 8 — sufficient only for smaller wide-body aircraft like the 787-8. Aviation enthusiast and commentator @xJonNYC first brought attention to the incident on social media platform X, citing airport sources who confirmed the larger 787-9 variant is not permitted to land in Naples. After safely landing in Rome, passengers were transferred to Naples by bus — a journey of roughly 145 miles that takes over two hours by road. American Airlines issued an apology, stating, 'We apologize to our customers for this disruption to their journey.' The diverted aircraft later departed Rome for Chicago as Flight 111, resuming its transatlantic operations. The incident marks the second time this week that passengers were rerouted by bus after flight diversions. In a separate case on Wednesday, a Ryanair flight in Europe diverted due to turbulence caused by a thunderstorm, with passengers transferred by road from Memmingen, Germany, to Milan.
Business Insider
2 days ago
- Business Insider
American Airlines sent a plane from the US to Italy that was too big for its destination airport and wasn't allowed to land
A transatlantic American Airlines flight diverted, and passengers were transported by bus, after the carrier seemingly sent a plane that was too big for its destination. Monday's Flight 780 departed Philadelphia at 7:42 p.m. and was supposed to land in Naples, Italy, at 10 a.m. local time. However, data from Flightradar24 shows how seven hours later, the Boeing 787-9 abruptly turned around over the Tyrrhenian Sea, west of the Italian mainland. It was only about 70 miles away from Naples International Airport before it diverted north to Rome Fiumicino Airport. An American Airlines spokesperson told Business Insider that the flight diverted due to "operational limitations." Historical flight data shows that the airline usually sends a Boeing 787-8 on flights to Naples. While these two Dreamliner variants are pretty similar, with the same wingspan, the 787-9 is actually 20 feet longer. Documents from Boeing and the International Civil Aviation Organization show how this means the two planes have different requirements for rescue-and-firefighting services (RFFS). The 787-8 is small enough to land at an airport with a Category 8 RFFS, but the 787-9 needs a Category 9 RFFS airport. Data from AviationWeek's Acukwik indicates that Naples Airport falls under the former classification. Aviation enthusiast @xJonNYC, who first shared the incident on X, reported that the airport authority said 787-9 planes can't land in Naples. The Naples and Rome airport authorities didn't immediately respond to requests for comment sent by BI outside Italian working hours. After landing at Rome Fiumicino Airport around 9:45 a.m., passengers were transported to Naples by bus, the airline spokesperson told BI. "We apologize to them for this disruption to their journey," they added. The two airports are around 145 miles away by road, which would take more than two hours. Meanwhile, the 787-9 departed Rome two-and-a-half hours later, operating Flight 111 to Chicago, per Flightradar24. This wasn't the only time this week that a diversion forced passengers to travel the remainder of their journey by bus. On Wednesday, a Ryanair flight diverted after a thunderstorm caused severe turbulence that injured eight people, three of whom were taken to a local hospital. Passengers were put on a bus from Memmingen, Germany, to Milan, a roughly four-and-a-half-hour journey.
