Earlier today, a Turkish Airlines Flight THY3RU (TK618) from Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (GMMN), Morocco to Istanbul Airport (LTFM), Turkey, diverted to Malta International Airport (LMML), Malta, due to a medical emergency on board. The flight was operated using an Airbus A350-941, registration TC-LGL.
2 hours into the flight, the flight crew advised Air Traffic Control that they request a priority landing at the closest possible airport, which was Catania Airport. Unfortunately, Catania Airport is unable to service such wide-bodied aircraft. Therefore, the crew opted to use the next suitable airport, which was Malta. The aircraft landed safely at 19:08 UTC.
This brand new aircraft, first flown on the 4th of April 2022, was delivered to Turkish Airlines on the 2nd of August 2022 and is powered by 2x RR Trent XWB-84. It is interesting to note that the aircraft is not painted in the traditional red and white Turkish Airlines colour scheme. The original customer for this aircraft was Aeroflot – Russian Airlines but due to the EU Sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine, Airbus had to find a new customer for this aircraft.
