A SAS Scandinavian Airlines Airbus A340-300, registration OY-KBA performing flight SK-998 from Shanghai (China) to Copenhagen (Denmark) with 250 people on board, was enroute at FL340 about 530nm southeast of Novosibirsk (Russia), then went out of available radar coverage, and came back into radar coverage at FL130 about 430nm southeast of Novosibirsk. The aircraft diverted to Novosibirsk for a safe landing on Novosibirsk’s runway 07 about 90 minutes after returning into radar coverage at FL130.
Novosibirsk airport reported the crew reported a technical malfunction.
A local Siberian Newspaper tweeted as only source that the aircraft diverted to Novosibirsk after receiving an indication of depressurization in the Abakan region (about 320nm southeast of Novosibirsk), however, did not follow up on Twitter, their print or online version. A number of “aviation services” took that tweet over immediately and without cross checking reported the aircraft had suffered the loss of cabin pressure.
Passengers reported they did not know why the aircraft diverted to Novosibirsk and had no information of how to get to Copenhagen.
The airline reported on Jul 15th 2016, that there was a problem with the cabin pressurization prompting the diversion to Novosibirsk. A replacement aircraft was dispatched to Novosibirsk.
A replacement Airbus A340-300 registration OY-KBM was dispatched from Copenhagen to Novosibirsk as flight SK-9227 and is currently enroute as flight SK-6998 from Novosibirsk to Copenhagen estimated to arrive in Copenhagen with a delay of 26 hours.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Novosibirsk about 26 hours after landing.
The Aviation Herald