Lufthansa Bengaluru-Frankfurt Flight Diverted to Mumbai Over Cabin Smell
A Frankfurt-bound Lufthansa flight operating from Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru was diverted to Mumbai and subsequently terminated on September 20 following reports of an unidentified smell in the aircraft cabin. The Boeing 747 was carrying 364 passengers when the diversion took place.
The daily non-stop service, flight LH755, was originally scheduled to depart from Kempegowda International Airport around 3 a.m. on September 20. However, the flight experienced an initial departure delay of three-and-a-half hours before taking off from Bengaluru. While en route to Germany, the crew detected an unusual odor emanating from within the cabin, prompting an unscheduled landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.
Lufthansa officials confirmed that the journey was cut short in Mumbai due to the unresolved issue. Jeffrey James, Head of Lufthansa Group Communications - Asia Pacific & Middle East, stated that the flight was diverted because of operational issues related to the smell in the aircraft cabin. He explained that the crew diverted to Mumbai to ascertain the source of the odor, but because it could not be determined, the decision was made to terminate the flight.
All 364 passengers aboard the Boeing 747 were deboarded in Mumbai and arranged to travel on alternative flights to ensure they reached Frankfurt, according to airline representatives.
Passengers on board took to social media to voice their frustration over the prolonged delays. Passenger Felix Remedios posted on X that the flight from Bengaluru had departed three-and-a-half hours late and that travellers were kept waiting inside the grounded aircraft in Mumbai for two hours, putting them nine hours behind schedule. In a follow-up post, he urged airline teams to resolve the situation promptly, noting that passengers had been sitting without proper sleep all night.
Following the incident, Lufthansa confirmed that operations on the route normalized quickly, with the scheduled Bengaluru-Frankfurt flight on September 21 departing from Kempegowda International Airport on time.
