On Feb 22nd 2026, a Malta Air Boeing 737-800, registration 9H-QCF, returned to Krakow shortly after departure when the crew reported an inertial reference system malfunction during climb.
The aircraft was operating positioning flight FR-7788 from Krakow to Bucharest Otopeni with two crew members on board. After departing runway 25 and beginning the climb, the pilots requested to stop the ascent and enter a hold at 6,000 feet, advising air traffic control of an IRS fault and their intention to return.
Following troubleshooting in the hold, the crew elected to discontinue the flight and landed safely back on runway 25 approximately 30 minutes after departure. No injuries were reported.
The aircraft remained on the ground in Krakow about 11 hours after landing. It had arrived in Krakow the previous day and had been parked for roughly 14 hours before departing on the positioning sector.
The inertial reference system provides critical attitude, heading, and navigation data to the aircraft’s flight displays and autopilot systems. While modern airliners have redundancy built into their navigation architecture, faults in these systems are treated conservatively, particularly on ferry or positioning flights where operational flexibility allows a precautionary return.
The event concluded without further incident, with the aircraft awaiting technical attention before resuming service.
