Flight SK916, operated by an Airbus A330-300 registered LN-RKR, was scheduled to leave New York JFK (JFK) at 6:55 PM local time on Friday, October 23, for an overnight flight to Copenhagen Airport (CPH), due to arrive at 8:40 AM on Saturday. Tracking data shows the aircraft departed at 7:24 PM, 29 minutes behind schedule. Around two hours into the flight, passenger Michael Flarup, who was traveling home to Copenhagen with his son, noticed on the in-flight map that the aircraft was heading in the wrong direction. Cabin crew then told passengers the aircraft had developed a technical issue and the pilots did not feel comfortable continuing across the Atlantic. The aircraft landed at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) at 10:58 PM after three hours and 34 minutes in the air, with fire trucks and ambulances waiting on the runway.
The difficulties continued after landing. Passengers waited around an hour at baggage claim before being told their luggage could not be removed from the aircraft, and a QR code issued to report missing bags would not accept their reports because they had not reached their original destination. Several hours passed without an update, and Flarup said his booking disappeared from the SAS app altogether. By then it was past midnight, before SAS emailed passengers asking them to arrange their own accommodation and offering reimbursement of up to $280 (€250) per room. Flarup said he managed to book one of the last available hotel rooms in the area, but many passengers were still stranded at Newark when he and his son left, and repeated calls to SAS support could not establish where the family's two suitcases were.
Flarup said: "Safety comes first. But the handling of hundreds of stranded passengers afterwards really needs to be better. People need clear information and a way to get home, especially in the middle of the night." SAS confirmed to Danish outlet TV 2 that the flight returned due to a possible technical fault and that the aircraft was being inspected in Newark, but did not elaborate on the nature of the fault or why the aircraft was sent to Newark instead of JFK. Tracking data shows the aircraft flew to Copenhagen the following day as flight SK910. Because SK916 was operated by a European airline and bound for Copenhagen, it falls under EU261: airlines must provide free hotel accommodation for overnight delays plus transport between the airport and hotel, and meals and refreshments; passengers may also be entitled to $672 (€600) in compensation for delays of four hours or more on flights over 3,500 kilometers.
