A Titan Airways Airbus A321neoLR registered G-OATW, which had previously been used by the UK government, was forced to return to London Stansted Airport after experiencing issues with loose windows during flight ZT305 to Orlando, Florida. The incident led to an investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Shortly after take-off, in the climb at approximately 10,000ft, the crew noticed excessive cabin noise and the aircraft executed a turn back to London Stansted. The aircraft’s outer panels in three windows were found to be missing, and damage to the left-hand stabiliser was discovered.
The aircraft in question had been operated on behalf of the UK Government in VIP configuration for 18 months.
Titan Airways emphasised safety and stated that they would cooperate with investigating authorities and Airbus to determine the cause of the issue.
The AAIB confirmed that they had initiated an investigation into the incident.
