A Norwegian Air Shuttle Boeing 737-800 registered LN-NHA diverted to Vienna on Monday after the flight crew detected a crack in the cockpit windscreen during flight DY1922 from Oslo Gardermoen to Dubrovnik.
The aircraft, which had been airborne for around two hours, made a priority landing after the pilots decided the damage required inspection. Passengers were informed of the situation before the aircraft descended and landed safely in the Austrian capital.
Norwegian confirmed that the crack was in the cockpit windscreen and said a replacement aircraft routing, technical inspection and a new flight crew were being arranged before the flight could continue to Dubrovnik. The airline has not yet determined the cause of the damage.
Aviation experts noted that such incidents are not uncommon. Aircraft windscreens are made of multiple reinforced layers, meaning a crack often affects only the outer layer and does not immediately compromise flight safety. Common causes include bird strikes, foreign object impacts and, in some cases, faults in the windscreen heating system.
This is the third similar incident involving a Norwegian aircraft in recent years, following cockpit windscreen cracks that forced diversions or returns on flights from Oslo to London earlier this year and from Oslo to Nice in 2014.