Finnair aircraft diverts to Helsinki after smoke reported in cabin

A Finnair Airbus A350 passenger aircraft travelling from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL/EFHK) to Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK/VTBS) made an emergency landing back in Helsinki, Finland after smoke-filled cabin sparks potential fire risk.

According to Flightradar24.com data, flight AY141 took off from Helsinki's runway 15 at 5.32 p.m., an hour later that its scheduled 4.20 p.m. departure, and was due to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) around 7.35 a.m. the following day. While the aircraft was commencing the climb from Helsinki airport, smoke detector indications alerted the crew to a potential fire onboard. The climb was paused at 3,800 ft and the flight crew decided to return to Helsinki for an emergency landing on runway 22L twelve minutes later.

Passengers noticed a suspicious steam in the cabin and shared pictures of the incident on social media.
After landing the passengers were taken to hotels and no further incidents were reported.

Investigations later found the source of steam that entered the interior of the A350 aircraft was the de-icing fluid that ended up in the wrong place, i.e. the auxiliary power plant. The airline will continue to investigate the matter with its partners and ensure that the same thing does not happen again. 

The smoke seen and smelled by the passengers was therefore, in reality, steam.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Finnair

Code: AY/FIN

Aircraft: Airbus A350-941

Registration: OH-LWH

Serial Number: 097

First Flew: March 2017