On 18 November, New Caledonia’s Aircalin returned one of its two brand new A330-900 (F-ONET) to the Airbus factory in Toulouse. The aircraft, only in service for about 6 weeks, will be thoroughly examined as – during climb out and descend – a strange “smelly socks” odor (smell of oil) is noted in the cabin causing headaches and eye irritation to crew members.
In order to protect is flight schedule, Aircalin has reinstated an old A330 while engineers investigate exactly what’s causing the problem.
Aircalin Grounds New A330neo As “Odor Events” Cause Headaches and Eye Irritation in Crew Members