• Delta A350
    Delta Air Lines
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    DL/DAL
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    Boston Logan International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, New York JFK Airport, LaGuardia Airport, Salt Lake City International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
    Year Founded:
    1929
    Alliance:
    SkyTeam
    CEO:
    Ed Bastian
    Country:
    United States
  • KLM grounded coronavirus
    Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    AMS/EHAM
    Country:
    Netherlands
    CEO:
    Ruud Sondag
    Passenger Count :
    20,887,144 (2020)
    Runways :
    18R/36L 'Polderbaan' - 3,800m (12,467ft) | 06/24 'Kaagbaan' - 3,500m (11,483ft) | 09/27 'Buitenveldertbaan' - 3,453m (11,329ft) | 18L/36R 'Aalsmeerbaan' - 3,400m (11,155ft) | 18C/36C 'Zwanenburgbaan' - 3,300m (10,827ft) | 04/22 'Oostbaan' - 2,014m (6,608ft)

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300 operating flight DL134 between Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) and Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport (AMS) landed short of the runway on Thursday, damaging the pavement and runway lights. No one onboard was injured due to the incident.

What happened in Amsterdam?

The incident took place on Thursday at around 08:00 local time. Delta Air Lines was operating flight DL134 and was directed to land on the Oostbaan (04-22), Schiphol’s shortest runway after a wind advisory was in place across the west of the Netherlands. NL Times first reported on the incident.

As reported, the rear wheels of Delta’s airplane stuck in the grass first ahead of the runway. Delta Air Line undershot the runway, which is not a common occurrence at the airport, a Schiphol spokesperson said to the NL Times.

There was some damage to the landing strip, particularly to the pavement, which was repaired within an hour, and two runway lights remained inoperable a few hours after the incident. Schiphol closed the Oostbaan for about an hour.

Delta A330 take off Schiphol
Photo: VanderWolf Images/Shutterstock

The Dutch Safety Board announced on Twitter that it had received information about the incident. “The Investigation Board is on its way to Schiphol for an exploratory investigation after a report of an aircraft landing in front of the runway this morning,” it said on social media. Simple Flying reached Delta Air Lines and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport authorities for comment. The airport wasn’t immediately available. Delta Air Lines said,

We are participating in the Dutch Safety Board’s (DSB) investigation of Delta flight 134 arriving in Amsterdam from Detroit today, January 12, 2023. With safety of our customers and crew as our top priority, we will support the investigation into this event and ensure a full assessment through our Safety Management System in coordination with The DSB.

The plane involved in the incident

Delta Air Lines operates 13 daily flights between the United States and Amsterdam. The US carrier has nine routes to this European hub, departing from Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, New York, Orlando, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City, according to data from Cirium.

On Thursday, Delta deployed an Airbus A330-300 registration N802NW to operate flight DL134 between Detroit and Amsterdam. Prior to this service, this widebody jetliner had operated flights between Paris and Detroit, Minneapolis and Paris, and Boston and Paris, according to FlightRadar24.com.

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A330-300
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

The plane is 19.62 years old and was first ordered by Northwest Airlines in 2001. It was delivered in July 2003 to this carrier. Delta received this plane in 2008 after Northwest was merged under the Delta brand. The jetliner has the capacity to carry 282 passengers in a three-class configuration (203 in economy, 24 in economy plus, 21 in premium economy, and 34 in business).

The Oostbaan, Schiphol’s shortest runway

Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport has six runways, of which at least two are active simultaneously at all times, according to its authorities. Five of these six runways serve its commercial operations, and the sixth serves general aviation, private jets, and helicopters. You guessed it right, that’s the 2,014-meter-long landing strip known as the ‘Oostbaan.’

A map of Amsterdam Runways
Photo: Amsterdam Schiphol.

This runway is the remnant of the old Schiphol Airport; it has a northeast-southwest orientation and is only used for commercial operations in exceptional weather conditions. To land in the Oostbaan, aircraft have to fly directly over Amsterdam’s downtown, which is why the runway has severe restrictions. For instance, the Oostbaan can’t be used between 23:00 and 06:00 to avoid noise. Overall, Amsterdam Schiphol restricts take-offs and landings between 23:00 and 06:00 to a single take-off runway and a single landing runway, which are usually runways 18R-36L (Polderbaan, the longest and newest runway), and 06-24 (Kaagbaan).

What do you think about this incident? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: NL Times, FlightRadar24.com