Air Berlin, the second-largest airline in Germany, is set to cease operations on October 28 following the company’s August announcement that it had filed for insolvency. The airline’s final flight will take place a day earlier, and tickets are reportedly already sold out for that Munich to Berlin flight.
On Monday, however, Air Berlin flew its final long-distance flight, from Miami, and that one is bound to be far more memorable due to the way the pilot of the Airbus A330 handled the approach into Düsseldorf Airport.
Specifically, the unidentified pilot aborted his landing attempt so that he could perform a low pass around the control tower. While onlookers in the above video clearly enjoyed the pass, other reports claim that passengers “screamed in terror,” while people in the terminal were also very concerned.
Air Berlin has already suspended the pilot and co-pilot while Germany’s Federal Aviation Office (LBA) conducts an investigation. A spokesman for the agency told the Associated Press that the pilot’s decision “differs from the usual maneuver and the reason for it needs to be clarified.” But according to one outlet, the pilot already explained himself.
“We wanted to make a mark, a dignified and emotional goodbye,” he reportedly told German broadcaster ZDF.
