Aviation incident: TAP flight redirected to Canada due to nauseating smells.
A TAP Air Portugal flight, TP211, departing from Porto and bound for Newark, New York, was diverted to St. John's, Canada, due to reported odors aboard, a TAP source told Lusa. The flight landed safely.
According to TAP, the aircraft in question was an Airbus A321 that touched down at St. John's International Airport at 10:46 pm Portuguese time on Monday. The source did not immediately provide information on when or how the flight would resume.
The diversion comes amidst the global scrutiny of instances related to cabin air quality, as airline operators and manufacturers have taken notice of such occurrences over the years. These incidents often involve unpleasant smells, which can stem from problems with the ventilation system (including coolant leaks, electrical failures, or engine oil/fuel issues) or items in the cabin or cockpit (such as hand luggage, cleaning products, disinfectants, or insecticides).
TAP emphasized that it closely monitors such occurrences through crew reports, allowing the airline to implement mitigation measures to prevent their recurrence.
In 2024, according to the Gabinete de Prevenção e Investigação de Acidentes com Aeronaves e de Acidentes Ferroviários (GPIAAF), there were 1,249 reports of this type of incident in the European database. The issue has received attention from the industry, investigation bodies, and EASA, the European regulator. However, specific GPIAAF guidelines or reports on these issues were not available in the search results.
- The diversion of TAP Air Portugal's flight TP211, due to reported odors aboard, highlights the ongoing concern surrounding cabin air quality, a issue that involves general-news topics like unpleasant smells and travel safety.
- As cabin air quality incidents, such as the diversion of TAP Air Portugal's flight TP211, can stem from various sources like ventilation system problems, items in the cabin, or accidents, the aviation industry has taken notice of these occurrences and has been proactive in implementing mitigation measures.
