Lufthansa diverted flight LH470 from Frankfurt to Toronto to Manchester on 26 September after a cabin odour prompted the crew to declare an emergency on board a Boeing 747-400 registered D-ABVY. The aircraft landed safely, carrying 371 passengers, and no injuries were reported. The diversion briefly brought two Lufthansa 747-400s into Manchester when a replacement aircraft was later sent from Frankfurt to continue the journey.
The replacement flight used another Boeing 747-400, D-ABVW, to collect the stranded passengers the following day and resume the trip to Toronto. The original aircraft remained in Manchester for inspection, while passengers were accommodated in hotels overnight. Lufthansa’s 747-400 fleet has been reduced to a small number of aircraft, and the type is due to leave the airline’s passenger fleet in 2027.
Manchester is an uncommon diversion point for a Lufthansa 747 passenger service, making the twin-aircraft recovery operation unusual. The precise technical cause of the cabin odour has not been identified in the available reporting, with the incident described only as an unusual or burning smell.