An Airbus A321NEO (D-AYAO) and destined for All Nippon Airways took off at Finkenwerder Airport for the very first test flight of the aircraft. The crew, however, was forced to return after 35 minutes of flight after a fuel leak indication.
Meanwhile rescue services at Finkenwerder Airport, where the Airbus factory is located, were alerted for a precautionary landing. During the landing process, fuel was spilled on the runway, forcing the airport authorities to close down the runway for the entire morning. Two fire trucks and 50 men using special equipment were deployed to handle the fuel spillage. A police helicopter circled over the airport to send live images to the police control center. At noon, Finkenwerder was still closed for operations, but reopened again later in the afternoon. The aircraft was pulled back into the hangar.
Airbus A321NEO (D-AYAO, msn 8187, destined for All Nippon Airways) prematurely abandoned its maiden test flight from Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport because of a fuel leakage indication. Returned to land 31 minutes. Currently, the Airport is closed. https://t.co/7ZP8JzbbcX pic.twitter.com/VhwOtqsnzo
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) July 6, 2018
