A Scandinavian Airlines flight experiences severe turbulence over Greenland

SAS flight SK957 was en route from Stockholm to Miami when the incident occurred.

The airline said the plane returned to Europe to be inspected in Copenhagen instead of flying to Miami, citing a lack of staff in the United States for the necessary protocol.

“We confirm that flight SK957 from ARN to MIA encountered severe turbulence over Greenland yesterday. Following such turbulence, standard safety procedures require a thorough inspection of the aircraft,” an airline spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement. “As SAS does not have the necessary facilities and personnel for this level of inspection in MIA, we decided to divert the aircraft to Copenhagen (CPH), where both hangar space and qualified technicians were available. Flying the aircraft to MIA would have resulted in it being grounded for an extended period, leading to multiple cancellations.”