Edelweiss A340 returns to Zurich after landing gear fails to retract
An Edelweiss Airbus A340-300 bound for Punta Cana turned back to Zurich shortly after departure when its landing gear could not be retracted, then departed again later the same day.
An Edelweiss Airbus A340-300 flying from Zurich to Punta Cana returned to its departure airport on 17 October. The aircraft could not retract its landing gear after take-off, according to information cited by the Aviation Herald.
Flight tracking data showed the aircraft, registered HB-JMC, circling north of the town of Aarau about ten minutes after departure. It then climbed south, made two loops over the Alps and came back to Zurich Airport.
The A340 stayed on the ground for just under two hours before taking off again as flight WK34 to Punta Cana. That second attempt reached the Dominican Republic without further problems, the report said.
The jet is 23 years old. According to the same account, Edelweiss plans to keep the A340-300 in service only until January 2027. The plane spent 15 days in maintenance with the company Haeco in Hong Kong in September 2025.
Zurich → Punta Cana
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Sources
- aerotelegraph.comHB-JMC: Airbus A340 von Edelweiss muss auf Punta-Cana-Flug nach Zürich zurückkehren