On 22 August, a SmartWings Boeing 737-800 from Samos, Greece to Prague, drifted down to 24,000 feet and continued at that level for a landing without further incident about 2:20 hours later.

The aircraft’s left-hand engine shut down spontaneously while flying at 36,000 feet. The pilots, however, continued their journey to Prague for another 2 hours and 20 minutes on one engine.

“It was safe to operate,” the airline told Czech newspapers

The airline confirmed the incident to Czech newspaper iROZHLAS, stating that it was perfectly safe to operate the aircraft on one engine all the way to Prague.

SmartWings spokesperson Vlaďka Dufková denies that the company violated safety regulations and explains to newspaper Zdopravy.cz: “The crew proceeded in accordance with the safety and operational procedures for these cases and the aircraft landed safely. The commander of the aircraft is one of the most experienced in the company, the crew had the situation under control and certainly would not underestimate anything.“