Utair flight from Dubai to Moscow returns safely after technical issue

A Utair passenger aircraft operating a flight from Dubai to Moscow returned to its departure airport on Wednesday after the crew reported a technical issue, the airline said.

According to Russian media cited by Report, the aircraft initially transmitted a distress signal while en route. Data from the Flightradar service showed that the plane had been circling in the airspace over and around Dubai for approximately 1.5 hours.

Later, Utair clarified that the crew had decided to return to the departure airport for technical reasons, acting in accordance with standard procedures and solely in the interest of flight safety. The airline emphasized that there was no threat to the safety of the flight.

Utair also noted that burning off fuel to reach the permitted landing weight is a regulated and routine procedure used when an emergency landing is not required. The landing was expected to take place under normal conditions and under the supervision of airport ground services.

The aircraft landed safely at 18:37 (GMT+4), the airline confirmed in a statement published on its Telegram channel. All passengers and crew members were reported to be safe and unharmed.