Seventy days after diversion to Shiraz in Iran, Norwegian’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 returns to Stockholm

70 days after Norwegian’s flight DY1933 between Dubai and Oslo diverted to Shiraz, Iran, the aircraft finally was repaired. On 14 December, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (LN-BKE) diverted after encountering engine problems (low oil pressure on the left-hand engine). The aircraft was only six weeks old when the incident occurred.

The airline, however, struggled to recover the aircraft due to the U.S. sanctions: all aircraft spare parts that contain at least 10% components manufactured in the U.S. are currently under sanctions and cannot be delivered to Iran, although case-by-case exceptions are possible. Further, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, which would grant exceptions to the sanction, was shut down from 22 December 2018 until 25 January 25 2019.

Luckily this week, the aircraft was repaired and on 22 February, the aircraft finally departed back to Stockholm, Sweden.