On Monday, 25 November 2024, at 05:28 LT, a Boeing 737-476(SF), registered as EC-MFE, operated by Swiftair for DHL, crashed near Vilnius International Airport (VNO/EYVI) during its approach phase; the aircraft was manufactured in 1993 and used CFMI CFM56-3C1 engines.
The accident resulted in one fatality among the four occupants (1 pilot), and 2 passengers along with the second pilot sustained unspecified injuries; additionally, a residential building was reported to have caught fire due to the incident.
Preliminary data indicated that the aircraft was flying fast and low on approach when it collided with terrain approximately 1 mile short of runway 19, and there were no reported issues from the flight crew prior to the crash.
At 0520, the local weather conditions indicated wind from 180° at 17 knots, with an overcast ceiling at 500 and 700 ft agl, and temperatures around 1° Celsius with a dew point of -1° Celsius.
The aircraft is leased from Bank of Utah. It was previously operated by Australian Airlines (1993), Qantas (until 2011) and Wat Phnom Airlines (2014) before joining Kingfisher in 2015.
Spanish based Swiftair has a fleet of 43 aircraft. Based in Madrid, it primarily operates scheduled and charter services for both passenger and cargo flights across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, with its main hub at Madrid–Barajas Airport .
The airline was established in 1986 and has since diversified its operations, including a focus on freight services. Swiftair also serves as a contractor for the United Nations, providing air transport services for the United Nations Mission in Sudan.
