NDJAMENA (AFP) — An Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet which made an emergency landing in Chad due to a radar problem took off again today, but 120 of its 150 passengers refused to board, airport authorities said.
The plane, a Boeing 737 en route from Dakar in Senegal to Addis Ababa via Bamako in Mali, “left this morning at 5:00 am (0400 GMT),” said an airport official, as well as airport police.
The incident comes days after another Ethiopian Airlines 737 with 90 people on board crashed into the Mediterranean minutes after takeoff from Beirut during a raging thunderstorm on Monday. There were no survivors.
Of the 150 passengers on the African flight, “120 refused to leave on the Boeing,” an airport official said. “They have been put up in different hotels. A large plane will come to collect them.”
Contacted by AFP, an Ethiopian Airlines spokesman in Ndjemena declined to comment and said that an “information office” had been opened by the company in Addis Ababa.
On Thursday, the Boeing 737 “circled around N’Djamena for one hour before making an emergency call. There was a radar problem, so it landed,” an airport official said.
An airport source said the plane, which had made a stopover in Bamako, Mali, was dumping its fuel before landing.
The same plane had already experienced electrical troubles when leaving Dakar earlier Thursday, and had had to return, passengers said.
19 thoughts on “Ethiopian Airlines jet makes emergency landing in Chad”
What is going on with EAL?
There must be something wrong with the type of plane itself, or woyanes have been focusing only on the money and not maintaining the plain accordingly. If people around the world start loosing confidence to board on EAL, the award winning EAL is going to go down because of Woyanes.
This particular aircraft has a long rap sheet of problems for a while now. It looks like there are too many of them already in service and nothing can be done now to pull all back except patch the problems. I have been avoiding this aircraft whenever I am traveling domestic. I travel overseas more frequently and Thank God all of them do not use this aircraft except 770 or 747. Boeing should ground this aircraft and conduct a thorough examination even though it is a ‘work horse’.
I don’t think the crash has anything to do EAL. This airline has an excellent service and safety records that can stack well with such reputable airlines as Singapore or Cathay. I think EAL needs to find a better communicator who is more eloquent for a spokesperson.
In all fairness aircraft maintenance and operational issues are part of the airline business. Unfortunately, something like that happens. However, I hope the despicable criminal Weyanes did not interfere negatively on the health of the EAL.
Well my friend ethio please read my posting XET pilot. One man at the helm as COO is single handedly tearing and disintegrating an Airline. We have lost top notch pilots, mechanic, office staff etc.. because of this government appointed ignorant individual. His doings are starting to unfold one by one. Metesinot well here is your answer. Just wait and see what this man has done by eliminating and chasing loyal, good and talented employees to foreingn Airline. God help ET.
If there is another issue with EAL, the world will now think the problem lies at EAL not weather nor terrorism. Is someone tampering with EAL? As someone said the COO is brutal, his name is on EAL website. People should do something about this. Weyane/TPLF hates anything Ethiopia so what does that tell us? They know that our pride and joy is EAL so they want to destroy that as they are trying to do the church, economy, the sports, ethnic hatred, etc. Well they are succeeding. If EAL is Weyane injected with no experience then EAL is a done deal. If this doesn’t rage people I don’t know what will. It is blessing for outside enemies such as Shaebia, OLF, ONLF, Egypt, etc.
Long live Ethiopia!
Do you all remember the comment of this ET pilot (courages) well it is unfolding I am not the only one. Please take time to talk to anyone at ET you will hear horror stories about this man who is trying his best to single handedly tear down and destroy our Airline . He needs to go . He used to be a Load Master getting back in that cargo department. Tewolde get the F _ _ _ out there.
Here is the other pilots comment!
hold on everybody. first off all, to all Ethiopians who are proud of our airline, I would like to say that this airline has been going down the hill with the stupid management that we hhave right now(ato tewolde(woyane), and girma wake(i dont know)).so from now on such kinds of events are not going to surprise me because every skilled manpower including pilots is leaving the airline because of the incompetent working conditions and pay that is so shit that aircraft cleaner in London heathrow make more that an Ethiopian airline pilot.
and that other guy who was complaining,in the first place why did you even board ethiopian airlines. If you even had the slightest idea what kinds of incompetent and non airworthy airplanes that we fly. So if your life has a meaning,shut your pie hole and avoid ethiopian airlines
X ET pilot,
If you really love your country you would stop writing these comments. I am in no place to agree or disagree with your opinions or belifes. But I do know one thing and that is you seem to be missing the point here. Here are grife striken people looking for comfort, and answers. If you could wait untill the evidence is found before you point fingers would be very appreciated. If you are doing this because you are angry on what is being done, and for the love of your country, then you would try to stand by your people and try to get your points across in its appropriate time. reaching to your own conclusions and lashing out on individuals would only make you come out as a bitter and back stabbing who seems to have forgotten what inregrity is…. May be it is just my openion. But I feel what we need is to stand together in what ever way we can. Bringing negative thoughts doesnt help anyone. If you feel very differntly, just prove me wrong. Tell me how your comment changed anything for the better. If you are doing it so you feel better to get your frustration out, I suggest you realize how your words could affect people in a way you probably didnt intend it.
Guys,
ET does not fly B-737 to/from Dakar. The news itself is totally wrong.
‘XET pilot’ – Why do you rush into conclusion like the Lebanese? It is one thing to have an issue with somebody but just anothther to bad mouth about ET by appearing to be an insider.
Recently, Ethiopian Airlines, who has a code share agreement with Lufthansa from Germany and works close to United Airlines from USA and Singapore Airlines from Singapore was not accepted to apply as a member of Star Alliance.
Do they know more about the current status of the airline as we may be able to know?
I don´t know, I just know that I have plans to fly with Ethiopian by the end of this year and I have no doubts to do it.
If there is a plane with a fatal safety record you as a company have to pull that plane out of circulation.
So my question here is, how is the actual condition at Ethiopian Airlines?
Many can come here and claim being an ex pilot of Ethiopian, to me this sounds like a bad joke rather than contributing hard facts.
I am a consumer who would love to experience ethiopian hospitality above the clouds but it would be helpfull for us to know the current situation.
Sister Mimi ,
I am sorry if I have offended you. I understand it is the time to mourn and stand by our ET Staff and their families. As an ethiopian and a x staff of 21 years I am heart broken about what just transpired. My dear you should take your time to investigate maybe before you lash out on some one . I don’t think you have any clue of what has happened to most of the seasoned management team and staff of ET. Please find out and you will understand. How would you know if you have cancer unless you have experienced it. I have. so please until you know both sides ,, grief and be sad we all are for the deceased but please refrain from throwing judgement. I am not judgeing the accident or pointing fingers. the truth will be revealed . Time will tell. I am just poiniting out what is brewing in the back ground to put an airline on it’s knees. God bless ET and Ethiopia and may the souls of the perished rest in peace.
I just thank the Great God for the safe landing. What so ever is going in the Ethiopian and other Airliners, I will always pray for the safe fly all over the world.
Please make corrections to your report. The type of airplane was not B737, rather it was b757. FYI, B737 does not accommodate 150 passengers.
IT CANNOT BE CALLED AN ‘EMERGENCY LANDING’.IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES,YOU HAVE TO LAND AT THE NEAREST SUITABLE AIRPORT IF AN EQUIPMENT FAILS BY REGULATION.WITH OUT WEATHER RADAR YOU CANNOT FLY AN AIRPLANE IN KNOWN WEATHER CONDITIONS.SAD ABOUT AFP REPORTING IT AS AN EMERGENCY LANDING!
The accident in Beirut & the scare in Chard are very unfortunate & sad. I pray for those who died in Beirut & for their families.
I flew from Southern Africa to Addis on the day of the Beirut accident on one of the other 4 B737 airplanes that EAL operates & I flew out of Addis yesterday on another B737 that EAL operates. I have a few friends who work in the technical & marketing departments of EAL & generally they are very positive about the airline. I also had a very brief opportunity to talk to a British pilot who works for EAL on the day of the Beirut accident & while he accepts the accident was “horrendous”, he is proud of his association with EAL.
It is indeed true that a few of the airplanes that EAL operates (particularly the B757 models used, for example, for European routes such as London & Rome which I used twice this week) are getting old but EAL has ordered a number of modern airplanes including B787 (10 of them), B777 (I believe 5 of them) & Airbus (I believe about 10 of them) that will be commissioned starting from late 2010 & continuing up to the end of the decade.
Whereas the previous & the current governments have caused a lot of damage to our country, my understanding is that they have somehow left EAL to operate professionally to some or to a large extent depending on whom you speak to (of course, nobody agrees that they have left the airline to operate completely independently of government interference).
I am very proud of EAL & it is, & will always be, my first choice!
Samuel Habtu Belay
Hi fellow Ethiopians and X-ET staff
I am also an X-ET staff.
I have been following the comments being posted here since the tragic accident in Beirut.
No one in his right mind would not feel the shock and grief of the accident.
It has been a sad moment for all of us.
Having said this, I have something to say
regarding some of the comments posted here.
1. This is not the time and place to to write your complaints about the management. Don’t forget, for outsiders, failure of the management is failure of ET. If you are doing this knowingly, I don’t think it is fair as we all are indebted to our beloved airline for what we are now. Also don’t forget the airline belongs to the ethiopian people, who the majority cannot eat twice a day.
Issues regarding the management should have been raised earlier and not at this critical moment.
By the way, I don’t want to pass by without mentioning the pride I felt when one international aviation safety analyzer from Europe put Ethiopian Airlines on the same standard as the best European Airlines.
2. When we complain about pay, please don’t forget what I have mentioned above. Eventhough,wanting more is human nature,let’s be reasonable. Those of us earning 15 to 20 thousand or above per month, should stop complaining and be thankful for we are paid is more than what we deserve as ethiopians. If you want to be paid as in the international market, serve your poor country first then look for a job somewhere. We are from a country where people wait in line to buy one GURSHA FIRFARY!
Dawit
Thank you for your sober comments and putting things in their proper perspective. This is neither the time nor the place for disgruntled x-employees such as X-Pilot to grind their axes. Like any other complex organization, I am sure EAL has a few organizational and management issues to deal with. Any organization that is growing at the pace that EAL is currently growing will have to contend with all kinds of growing pains. However, pointing fingers at a time of crisis is neither professional nor ethical. X-Pilot, being the educated gentleman you are, I am sure you know how much the average Ethiopian employee makes. Whatever amount you make as pilot and all the fringe benefits that come with being a pilot puts you in the “privileged category”. Don’t forget the Ethiopian people paid every penny that was spent to put you through pilot training and all the additional training that allowed you to earn the wage you are denigrating.
If you think it is better to migrate to London and earn more money cleaning airplanes, the choice is yours. By the way,Pplease don’t forget to pay back the Ethiopian people the amount they spent to train you as a pilot once you become rich and famous cleaning airplanes in London.
Bon chance mon ami
Good precautious measure!
To my Ethiopian commenters…
I just am surprised by the fact that many comment writers do associate it with the gov’t when it comes to stories of failure of any thing; and try to praise separately when that any thing happens to own success stories. Wake up! and be impartial and far sited.
One thing different to this current news on EAL is the fact that this news came just days after the disasterous clash of similar plane in the mediterranean with 90 people on board (crew members inclussive).
Similar stories have been registered…
Janury 11th, 2009
//www.ethiopianreview.com/content/8219
Feb 3rd, 2009
//www.ethiopianreview.com/content/8455
What caught my attention, rather than political STUFF, is the seasonal pattern of these similar stories. That they happened to be in the month of January, and early days of February!
WATCH OUT!… Could these all be due to wheather conditions during this period threatening their working conditions?
Beware, ceteris paribus, the crash was in January and this emergency landing in January…
The plane that landed in N djamena, Chad is a Boeing 757-200ER, Ethiopian uses only B767s and B757s to Dakar, Senegal which the flight originated from. There was nothing wrong with it, the pilot was taking precaution.