Eurowings flight: Medical emergency leads to over 6 hours late

6 hours late: Eurowings flight from Hurghada has to be intermediate twice

On Sunday, April 13, 2025, a planned holiday flight from Hurghada to Cologne/Bonn was faced with considerable challenges. The flight EW981, which was carried out by the Czech Airline Smartwings in Wetlease for Eurowings, did not have to insert less than two intermediate landings due to a medical emergency and due to exceeded crew. This led to a delay of over six hours for the 168 passengers on board.

The flight started with a delay of more than an hour. Around 90 minutes after departure, the pilots signaled an international emergency code, which required the immediate withdrawal to the closest airport. The first stopover took place in Heraklion, Greece, where a passenger urgently needed medical help. After a stay of about two hours, the flight continued, but not directly to Cologne.

necessary intermediate landings and crew change

Due to the already compensated periods of the crew, a scheduled intermediate landing in Zagreb was required to replace the crew member. This stay also took almost two hours. After the exchange was completed, the machine finally took off at 10:44 p.m. in the direction of Cologne and landed at Cologne/Bonn Airport at around 00:15 - with a delay of over six hours.

During the two stops, the passengers did not save the stay on the plane. They were supplied with drinks and snacks, but no specific information about compensation or support services was given. Whether the travelers are entitled to compensation payments according to the EU Ordinance 261/2004 could depend on the classification of medical emergency, which is usually considered an extraordinary fact and releases the airline from the obligation to pay.

The meaning of the flight and future of the connection

currently Eurowings offers the connection between Cologne/Bonn and Hurghada only for a limited period of time, since the Lufthansa subsidiary plans to suspend this route in the 2025 summer flight schedule. The incident emphasizes the challenges associated with flight safety and compliance with service times of the crew. Such a situation can be a considerable inconvenience for both airlines and passengers and require quick action to ensure the security and well -being of everyone involved.