Woah: A340 Flies From England To Malta With Landing Gear Down

Intro

Well, this isn't something you hear about every day...

The Details

Earlier today, an ex-Iberia A340-600 with the registration code G-ECLE flew from Bournemouth to Malta at a decreased altitude due to having to fly the entire 4-hour flight with its landing gear down.

Delivered to Iberia in 2004, the aircraft was with Ib until the pandemic, until it was stored, and eventually sold off to European Cargo in 2022. Since 2022, the aircraft has been in storage in Bournemouth and has not flown until today.

Flight Radar went a little nuts earlier today, as reports came out that the aircraft flew the 4-hour and 4-minute flight at an altitude of only 23,000 feet. Usually, an A340-600 would climb up to anywhere between 33,000 and FL410, but due to having to fly with the landing gear down the entire time, for safety precautions...

Quite the spectacle to witness this

Why Did This Happen?

Now, this is actually quite a normal practice when an aircraft has been out of service for a while. Since this aircraft had been in storage for roughly 3 years, it needs the proper checks on hydraulics and mechanical parts before it can be operated properly.

In order for the A340-600 to be fully functioning, a series of checks has to be performed, one being a "gear swing. This is where the aircraft is propped up on the ground, and the landing gear is retracted and extended.

Bournemouth didn't have the facilities for this aircraft, and thus, the A340-600 was ferried over to Malta...

Final Thoughts

One of the most tracked flights on FlightRadar today was an A340-600 that flew a little over 4 hours from Bournemouth to Malta at an altitude of 23,000 feet. Considering that the aircraft was in need of a gear swing, this makes complete sense, but I imagine it was quite the spectacle to witness on the ground!