Moments of anguish unfolded aboard a British Airways flight from London to Chicago on Monday afternoon (5/10), when a Boeing 777 lost approximately 27,000 feet of altitude in just seven minutes. The pilots declared an emergency due to an unspecified “technical problem,” with the aircraft ultimately returning to London approximately five hours after takeoff.
British Airways: The plane dropped 27,000 feet in seven minutes
According to data from flight tracking website FlightAware, the aircraft took off at 12:15 local time. Approximately half an hour later, while flying over Ireland at an altitude of 36,000 feet, it began to descend sharply. Within seven minutes, it had reached 9,000 feet, losing a total of 27,000 feet of altitude. The crew then decided to reverse course. The Boeing 777 remained in the area of the Bristol Channel, off the west coast of England, for approximately four hours before heading to Heathrow Airport. The flight landed safely shortly after 17:00 local time.
British Airways’ statement
In an official statement, British Airways said the aircraft returned to Heathrow due to a technical problem, noting that the pilots followed standard procedures and carried out a safe landing.
“The aircraft landed safely after our highly trained pilots returned to Heathrow due to a technical issue. Customers disembarked normally and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as soon as possible,” the airline said.
Passengers are expected to be taken care of by the airline until their onward travel is arranged, and they may need to be accommodated in hotels overnight.
The incident comes at a time when UK aviation has been facing a series of technical problems. Last month, the UK’s National Air Traffic Services (NATS) came under intense scrutiny after two technical failures within a two-week period caused widespread delays at airports across the United Kingdom and led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
