A London-bound Norse Atlantic Airways Boeing 787-9 aborted its takeoff at high speeds on Thursday night. The pilots avoided another aircraft on a perpendicular runway at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. 

Background

On October 3rd, Norse Atlantic Airways flight 702 was preparing to depart from JFK Airport in New York City. The flight, operated by a Boeing 787-9 aircraft registered as G-CKOF, was scheduled to leave New York at 6:20 p.m. local time and fly 7 hours overnight to London’s Gatwick International Airport (LGW). 

The airline said the pilots aborted takeoff because of a “potential obstruction on the runway.” However, in an interview with the New York Post, a flight attendant onboard the flight in question said the “potential obstruction” was another aircraft on an intersecting runway. 

Details of the Incident

While few details about the incident have been reported officially by the airline or the Federal Aviation Administration, flight tracking data and audio recordings from LiveATC.net detail how the situation unfolded. 

At 6:40 p.m., the Norse aircraft lined up on Runway 13R, preparing for a southeasterly departure along the coast of Long Island. 

At the same time, an Emirates A380, registered as A6-EOV and performing flight EK205 from Milan (MXP) to JFK, was landing on runway 22L, perpendicular to the runway the Norse aircraft was about to depart. 

Moments later, the air traffic controller cleared the pilots of the Norse 787 for takeoff. Notably, however, the controller did inform the pilots that runway 13R (the departing runway) and runway 22L (the arriving runway) do not intersect:

“Longboat 70Z Heavy, traffic rolling out runway 22L, runways do not intersect. Wind 170 at 8. Runway 13R, cleared for takeoff”

Confirming the takeoff clearance, Norse 702 began its takeoff roll, reaching a speed of 87 knots (about 100 miles per hour or 161 kilometers per hour) before the pilots noticed the Emirates A380 directly in front of them. 

At this point, the pilots slammed the brakes and radioed: “Longboat 70Z, we’re stopping. We’re rejecting the takeoff.”

The controller responded, “The runways do not intersect for Longboat 70Z. That traffic was no factor.”

Why Did the Pilots Abort Takeoff?

However, as the JFK controller stated in the initial takeoff clearance and as can be seen from satellite imagery, Runway 13R (highlighted in green) and Runway 22L do not intersect. 

Despite this, the pilots of the Norse flight likely felt it would be safer to abort takeoff instead of trying to climb over the A380 at such a short distance. After all, an A380 is over eight stories tall!

Aftermath

After aborting takeoff, the Norse flight turned left off the runway and taxied back around, departing safely after a short delay. 

According to Passenger Angela Blevins, who spoke to The Post, “No one really screamed, except maybe a few sudden utterances because we stopped so quickly. It didn’t feel like a crash or that we were in danger.” 

The interviewed flight attendant also downplayed the episode, noting that the A380 was at the far end of the runway and that “JFK is very busy; you look both ways before crossing.” 

The airline said, “Norse Atlantic Airways flight Z0 702 from New York JFK to London Gatwick performed a rejected take off due to a potential obstruction on the runway.”

“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our top priority and our pilots are highly trained for such events. The flight departed shortly afterwards with only a minor delay.”

The flight landed six hours later in London without any further incident.