Created Saturday, Dec 9th 2023 16:59Z, last updated Saturday, Dec 9th 2023 16:59Z
A China Eastern Airbus A330-200, registration B-6538 performing flight
MU-533 from Shanghai Pudong (China) to London Heathrow,EN (UK), was climbing out of Shanghai's runway 17L when the crew stopped the climb at about 1800 meters due to being unable to retract the landing gear. The aircraft dumped fuel and returned to Shanghai for a safe landing on runway 16L about 2:20 hours after departure.
A passenger reported there was unusual noise, that he could hear even through his noise-cancelling headset. Later the crew announced that due to a mechanical failure they needed to return to Shanghai.
The airline reported "mechanical failure".
A replacement Airbus A330-200 registration B-6545 is estimated to reach London with a delay of about 4.5 hours.
