Source: Su Wu | www.simpleflying.com

On May 6th, a video on the internet showed a Tibet Airlines passenger flight forced to return to its departure airport due to an unknown thick smoke in the cabin.

The passenger who took the video said it smelled like a burnt electronics device, and the plane circled in the air for an hour before returning. Smoke can be seen in the video, and the flight attendants can be heard shouting, “Safety belts confirmed, lower your head and cover your mouth and nose with your collar.”

According to data from VariFlight.com, the flight was Tibet Airlines TV9918 from Shenzhen to Lhasa, which departed from Shenzhen Bao’an Airport (SZX) at 14:17 on May 6th. The flight was conducted by Airbus A319. The flight was canceled after returning, and VariFlight.com also showed that the flight had circled before returning.

Tibet Airlines customer service said that it had been confirmed that the plane returned due to a mechanical failure, and the flight was canceled afterward without any replacement. In such cases, accommodation and other flights will be arranged, and passengers can choose to reschedule or refund their tickets.

On May 8th, Tibet Airlines issued a statement regarding the incident:

On May 6th, Tibet Airlines flight TV9918 departed from Shenzhen Bao’an Airport at 14:17. Shortly after takeoff, smoke appeared in the cabin, and the crew decided to return. The aircraft landed safely at Shenzhen Airport at 15:00, and the flight was subsequently canceled and passengers were properly arranged. After the ground maintenance personnel’s systematic inspection, it was confirmed that the fault was in the air conditioning component in the belly of the aircraft, which would not affect flight safety. We apologize for the inconvenience caused to passengers and express sincere gratitude for your concern and understanding.