‘On Saturday, November 20, 2010, flight FZ901 from Dubai to Yekaterinburg operated by FlyDubai had to go through with an emergency landing in Samara because the landing strip in Koltsovo Airport of Yekaterinburg had been made unavailable by snow; moreover, the conditions for braking on the strip were classed as ‘bad’. For the sake of the passengers and the crew’s safety, it was decided not to try to land in such weather conditions,’ FlyDubai’s press service explained to UrBC.

‘As it happens, the aircraft crew found out upon their arrival in Samara that they had exceeded the officially allotted number of hours pilots are allowed to spend flying without any rest. These norms are determined by the international laws, so, again for the reasons of safety, the passengers were accommodated in a hotel. Our passengers and crew’s safety and comfort have always been our company’s top priority,’ the airline says.

‘With help from our partner Natalie Tours and from local authorities, we handled the issues of passenger accommodation and speedy and safe transfer to Yekaterinburg,’ the carrier reports.

‘Flight FZ901 was operated by a captain with 18,000 hours’ flying experience and a co-pilot with 6,000 hours’ flying experience. Our captain is particularly good at flying in cold weather and has operated numerous flights to the north of China, Northern Europe, and Scandinavia,’ says FlyDubai.

‘This was a rather unpleasant incident, and FlyDubai regrets having to inconvenience its passengers. However, all the decisions were taken in order to ensure our customers and crew’s safety and well-being,’ the press service observes.