With 340 passengers

Odor on board: Lufthansa plane had to turn around

Due to an unusual odor on board, a Lufthansa passenger plane carrying almost 340 people was forced to make an unscheduled return flight to Frankfurt am Main on Thursday. "The reason for this was an unidentifiable electrical odor in the cabin," the company announced in the afternoon. The Boeing 747-8 was on its way to Chicago in the USA.

According to Lufthansa, there was no smoke on board at any time. The cause of the smell is still unclear.

Technicians examined the aircraft, which had landed "normally" in Frankfurt. The 320 passengers and 19 crew members left the aircraft in the usual way. They were to continue their journey in the evening on a replacement aircraft.

Lufthansa said that the plane had turned around as a precaution. The safety of the passengers and crew members had top priority at all times. According to the "Bild" newspaper, which referred to passengers, the smell occurred 90 minutes after take-off. The plane was already over the Atlantic at the time.