Turkish Airlines plane lands in Johannesburg after problem

A Turkish Airlines flight from Cape Town to Istanbul landed in Johannesburg after being diverted because of an unspecified problem, Airports Company of South Africa said.

Flight data showed that the Airbus jet had been in a holding pattern for some time after taking off.

“The airline will issue a press statement soon,” Airports Company of South Africa spokeswoman Deidre Davids said by phone from Cape Town.

The airline is trying to resolve the issue, a Turkish Airlines spokesperson said earlier, declining to be named in line with company policy. The spokesperson declined to provide further details.

Flight data shows that the plane is an Airbus A330-343, flight number TK45. It could be seen circling over waters west of Cape Town at an altitude of around 20,000 feet for some time after taking off, according to flight tracking data on flightradar24.com. It took off at 6 p.m. local time, four hours ago.

Johannesburg is a larger airport than Cape Town and the main site of the South African Airways technical department.