A transcontinental service bound for West Africa made a swift return to Belgium on March 3rd 2026 after the crew declared PAN PAN and carried out an emergency descent while cruising over France.
The GetJet Airlines Airbus A320-200, registered LY-MAL, was operating flight HC-406 on behalf of Air Senegal from Brussels to Dakar. The aircraft had reached Flight Level 350 and was over Paris when the crew declared PAN PAN, signaling an urgent situation requiring priority handling but not immediate distress.
The pilots initiated an emergency descent to Flight Level 100, reducing altitude rapidly as part of standard procedures for certain in-flight abnormalities. After stabilizing at the lower level, the crew elected to discontinue the flight and return to Brussels.
The A320 landed safely on runway 25L at Brussels Airport approximately one hour after departure and taxied to the apron without further incident.
No injuries were reported. As of about 11 hours after landing, the aircraft remained on the ground in Brussels for technical assessment.
Emergency descents are typically conducted in response to issues such as pressurization problems or onboard system alerts that require immediate reduction in cabin altitude. While the exact cause of the PAN PAN call has not been disclosed, the crew’s prompt descent and return ensured a controlled outcome and a safe landing back at the departure airport.
