After witnessing the aircraft continuously dumping fuel for over an hour, Da Nang man Nguyen Ninh feared the worst and texted his daughter to inform her of the trouble.

Based in Munich, Germany, he had bought a ticket on Vietnam Airlines flight VN34 to visit his hometown. He was aboard the Boeing 787-9 along with 270 other passengers, both Vietnamese and foreigners.

The flight took off from Munich International Airport at 1:45 p.m. on Aug. 15, and was scheduled to arrive in Hanoi at 5:30 a.m. the next day.

Ninh planned to take a connecting flight to his hometown of Da Nang.

His wife and children had gone ahead of him, and so he was traveling alone.

Vietnam Airlines flight VN34 after landing at Munich airport on Aug. 15, 2026. Photo by Nguyen Ninh

His aircraft took off in clear weather. Ninh noted that the takeoff roll took longer than usual, extending almost to the end of the runway. There was a loud noise just as the nose of the aircraft lifted off the ground.

The plane reached cruising altitude 30 minutes later.

Suddenly, the passengers were informed by the captain that the aircraft was experiencing a technical issue, requiring it to jettison fuel and return to the airport.

The atmosphere in the cabin shifted. While everyone remained seated, anxious looks began to appear. Ten minutes later, flight attendants distributed water to the passengers and reiterated that the plane had a technical problem and needed to return to the airport for inspection and safety reasons.

Seated by the window, Ninh watched as fuel was continuously jettisoned from both wings. On the screen in front of him, the aircraft icon began circling repeatedly near Munich.

"Watching the plane dump fuel for over an hour left me in a state of turmoil; I found myself imagining the worst-case scenarios," Ninh says.

Despite having no internet connection, he managed to send a text message to his daughter informing her that the plane was having trouble and dumping fuel.

Though many passengers were worried, there was no commotion.

"I was surrounded mostly by foreigners, and they remained quite calm," Ninh recounts.

After circling for over an hour, the aircraft prepared to land, and flight attendants instructed passengers to adopt the brace position. Everyone had to remove their shoes, glasses, and any obstructive items, stow their luggage, bend low, and protect their heads with their hands.

The Boeing 787-9 descended toward the airport but then climbed back up to circle twice before finally touching down, after around two hours in the air.

The tires of a Boeing 787-9 aircraft used for Vietnam Airlines flight VN34 are damaged after it landed at Munich airport on Aug. 15, 2026. Photo by Nguyen Ninh

Flight attendants repeatedly shouted, "Keep down."

Ninh says everyone realized the situation was serious—aware that a collision on the runway was a possibility—and so focused on following the instructions.

The landing was swift and without any turbulence.

The crew seated near the emergency exits stood ready to open the doors for passenger evacuation.

Once the aircraft came to a halt, fire crews quickly approached and sprayed foam beneath the fuselage.

"I felt a sense of relief once we were on the ground," Ninh says.

Near him, a foreign woman burst into tears as the plane prepared to land, while a man continuously reassured his wife and children. The family embraced and wept when the aircraft touched down safely.

Passengers remained on board for about 10 minutes before disembarking and entering the terminal; they were subsequently taken to a hotel near the airport for accommodation.

Passengers leave Vietnam Airlines flight VN34 after the aircraft landed in Munich airport, Aug. 15, 2026. Photo by Nguyen Ninh

Also aboard flight VN34 with her husband and son, Nguyen sensed something amiss the moment the plane began its takeoff roll. "Why is the takeoff run taking longer than usual today?" she wondered.

After lifting off, she heard loud noises and felt a momentary lurch and slight vibration as the aircraft climbed. What struck her most was the passengers' composure; no one screamed, jostled, or panicked. Everyone seemed to keep their fear to themselves so as not to add to the anxiety of those around them.

While the plane circled to dump fuel, Nguyen felt dizzy but tried to keep her eyes closed, stay relaxed, and remain calm.

At one point, her son said, "Dad... I don't want to die."

She recounts: "No one in my family answered. It wasn't because we didn't hear him, but perhaps because, at that moment, none of us knew what to say."

 

 

'I don't want to die': 2 tense hours as Boeing flight to Hanoi dumps fuel, returns to Munich airport

Vietnam Airlines bố trí hành trình thay thế cho toàn bộ khách chuyến VN34

Nguyen believes the main feeling her family experienced after the flight was a sense of relief and good fortune at being back on the ground.

"I do not wish to assign blame to anyone as the incident still requires investigation; however, we witnessed the flight crew handle an extremely tense situation and ultimately bring all passengers back to Munich safely."

According to the European aviation website Airlive, the Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 performed a delayed takeoff, lifting off only near the end of the runway; this caused the tail to strike the ground, kicking up a large cloud of dust.

After takeoff, the crew climbed to an altitude of approximately 9,000 feet, reported a tire pressure warning signal, and announced the need to dump fuel before returning to the airport. The aircraft circled for about 90 minutes to jettison fuel and reduce its weight to a safe level for landing.

The Boeing 787-9 made two low-altitude approaches to runway 26R before finally landing.

All 271 passengers were later sent by other flights to Hanoi.