Travelers endured a half-day flight to nowhere after their plane u-turned over the Arctic 7 hours into the journey

"All Nippon Airways Flight 223 left Tokyo around 11 a.m. and was scheduled to land in Frankfurt, Germany, about 14 hours later. However, over six hours into the journey, it turned around while flying over the Arctic Ocean, north of Alaska. Flight-tracking data shows how the Boeing 787 then headed back to the Japanese capital. It took another eight hours to reach Tokyo's Haneda Airport, where Flight 223 touched down around 1 a.m."

"Engine oil differs from jet fuel and is used to lubricate and cool the moving parts inside the engine.Returning to Tokyo, the airline's main hub, would mean more resources for maintenance and repair. The spokesperson added that the flight departed again on Wednesday morning, with a change of aircraft and crew."

All Nippon Airways Flight 223 departed Tokyo around 11 a.m. for Frankfurt and was scheduled to arrive roughly 14 hours later. About six hours into the flight, the Boeing 787 turned around while flying over the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska and headed back to Tokyo. The plane diverted because of a "low engine oil level." Engine oil lubricates and cools moving parts inside the engine, and returning to Tokyo provided greater maintenance resources. The flight landed at Haneda around 1 a.m. and departed the next morning on a replacement aircraft and crew, arriving in Frankfurt about 20 hours later than planned.

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