Bangkok-bound Dreamliner forced to dump fuel and turn back as cockpit window cracks

A Thai Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner bound for Bangkok returned to Shanghai and made an emergency landing on Nov. 4 after its pilots spotted a crack in a cockpit window shortly after takeoff.

The pilots of flight TG663 contacted air traffic control to request an emergency landing, then circled and dumped fuel to reduce the aircraft's landing weight before touching down safely back in Shanghai, Khaosod English reported.

Thai Airways said in a statement carried by Thai news agency InfoQuest that the plane had taken off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 8:08 a.m. for Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport. The pilots, after finding a crack in the left cockpit windshield during the flight, decided to return to the departure airport in line with safety procedures, it said, adding no injuries were reported.

The airline said it had arranged accommodation for affected passengers and crew, coordinated with partner airlines to transfer passengers and switched flights TG662 and TG663 on Nov. 5 to a larger aircraft to carry the transferred passengers.

A Thai Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Photo by Unsplash/Bornil Amin

Footage said to show it releasing fuel was shared on social media.

A crack in a cockpit window does not necessarily mean every layer has broken or that the cockpit has lost pressure, but it calls for a safety assessment before the aircraft flies on, The Thaiger reported.

In February 2025, Thai Airways flight TG401 from Bangkok to Singapore turned back to Suvarnabhumi after the pilot spotted a crack in the outermost layer of a cockpit window. Passengers continued to Singapore on a replacement aircraft the next morning.