A British Airways Boeing 777 traveling from London to Chicago was forced to change course after experiencing a technical problem and losing around 27,000 feet of altitude within seven minutes.
According to data from the FlightAware platform, the aircraft departed London at 12:15. Approximately 30 minutes after takeoff, while it was over Ireland, it began a significant descent.
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The aircraft was flying at an altitude of around 36,000 feet when it began its descent, reaching approximately 9,000 feet within seven minutes.
After this, the crew declared an emergency and the aircraft changed course, turning back toward Great Britain. It remained over the Bristol Channel for around four hours before landing safely at London Heathrow Airport at around 17:00 local time.
British Airways said the decision to return to Heathrow was related to a technical fault.
“The aircraft landed safely after our highly trained pilots returned to Heathrow due to a technical issue. Passengers disembarked from the aircraft as usual, and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as soon as possible,” the airline said.
The airline is expected to accommodate the passengers in hotels until another flight can be arranged.
The incident occurred shortly after criticism of the United Kingdom’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS), which faced two technical problems within two weeks. The faults caused significant delays at several British airports and led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
