Pungent Cabin Odour Diverts SWISS Flight Over Atlantic

On Tuesday morning, SWISS flight LX9 from Chicago O'Hare to Zurich was forced to divert to Lajes Airport on the Azores island of Terceira due to an unidentified pungent odour detected in the Economy Class cabin.

The Boeing 777-300ER, registered HB-JNF, was about halfway across the Atlantic and cruising at 37,000 feet when the crew decided to divert. They declared an emergency to give the aircraft priority with air traffic control.

All 222 passengers and 16 crew members disembarked normally after landing safely on Lajes Runway 33 at around 06:30 local time. Five passengers and one crew member were examined for eye irritation, nausea, or headaches but none required further medical treatment.