The Air Serbia flight from Belgrade to St. Petersburg landed at Helsinki-Vantaa because the St. Petersburg airport was closed, according to multiple reports. After refueling, one aircraft was able to continue its journey, while the other remained at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport because of a technical problem, Finland's Coast Guard said. Passengers on the grounded plane were able to continue their journey on a replacement aircraft sent by Air Serbia, before the plane returned to Serbia, according to multiple reports. The damaged Air Serbia plane will still remain at Helsinki-Vantaa, multiple reports indicate.
There were a total of 133 people on the plane, of which five are crew members, and among the passengers are also children, according to multiple reports. The atmosphere at the airport has remained calm, and they have been offered food and drink, said Jukka-Pekka Lumilahti, Director General of the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard. The basic needs of the passengers have been met and they have been kept up to date with changes, Lumilahti confirmed.
Two aircraft en route from Serbia to St. Petersburg landed early this morning at Helsinki Airport, which was serving as an alternate airport, as the St Petersburg airport was temporarily closed. After refuelling, one aircraft was able to continue its journey, while the other remained at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport because of a technical problem.
A similar landing in Helsinki occurred on March 25, carried out by a plane traveling from Egypt to Russia, according to multiple reports. The plane that landed at Helsinki-Vantaa's alternate terminal is from an Egyptian company, Nesma Airlines, coming from Hurghada, Egypt, multiple reports indicate. The plane is estimated to be able to continue its journey around 5:30 PM on Tuesday, after the required crew rest time is fulfilled, according to multiple reports. These situations can happen at this airport a few times a year, Lumilahti added.