The flight had been squawking 7700, a code used by pilots to indicate a general emergency to air traffic controllers.Emma O’Neill Assistant Live News Editor and Jonathan Blackburn
14:43, 31 May 2025
The Jet2.com flight landed back at Glasgow Airport less than 45 minutes after take-off.(Image: Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
A Jet2 flight departing from Glasgow Airport was forced to return shortly after take-off.
The brief journey, scheduled from Glasgow to Leeds, took off at 11.17am on Saturday (May 31). However, the flight soon began ‘squawking’ to signal an emergency, as reported by air traffic tracking service Flight Radar 24.
The Boeing 737 aircraft initially headed towards Leeds over Kilwinning, but abruptly changed course over Dumfries and Galloway around 13 minutes into the flight.
The plane then flew north, circling over Lanark, Larkhall and Wishaw for nearly ten minutes before heading north over Cumbernauld and turning back to land in Renfrew at Glasgow Airport at 11.59am. The flight never ascended beyond 9,000 feet.
Typically, passenger flights cruise at altitudes exceeding 30,000 feet above sea level. Flight Radar confirmed that air traffic control recordings indicate no further safety concerns once the flight touched down at Glasgow Airport, reports Glasgow Live.
The flight had been squawking 7700, a code used by pilots to signal a general emergency to air traffic controllers, according to Flight Radar.
Jet2.com has been contacted by Glasgow Live for additional information.