The plane had to circle once and then make another landing attempt.
The pilot reportedly cited strong, gusty winds as the cause of the difficult landing. These winds, among other factors, led to the plane aborting its initial landing attempt. Flightradar24 data indicates the aircraft was less than 100 metres from the ground when this occurred.
The plane successfully landed on its second try.
– They really had to struggle to get the plane down; it was shaking considerably. It was quite unpleasant, Malin Christoffersson said.
When the plane finally landed at 19:25, five minutes late, the passengers burst into applause.
– I’ve never experienced people applauding like this after a landing. People were quite shaken, said Malin.
Gusty winds were blamed for the turbulence.
Robert Lindberg, CEO of Skellefteå Airport, who was also on the flight, did not find the situation unsettling.
– For me, it wasn’t particularly unusual. I’ve experienced planes having to circle around before. However, I understand that it can feel uncomfortable, he said.
He pointed out that the pilot acted precisely as expected in such circumstances.
– Safety is always the top priority, and that was certainly the case here.
This is the second time in a week that a plane has had to abort a landing at Skellefteå airport.
Last Tuesday, a flight from Stockholm also had to abort its landing in Skellefteå due to strong winds. On that occasion as well, the plane successfully landed on the subsequent attempt.