The aircraft was met by emergency services after circling for several minutes over a ‘depressurisation’ alert
A British Airways Airbus A319 was forced to divert after pilots declared emergency(Image: Getty Images)
A British Airways flight bound for Belfast was compelled to divert after the pilots declared an emergency. The BA1410 flight, which departed from London Heathrow at 08:05 BST on July 26, declared a general emergency (squawked 7700) about half an hour into the journey, according to AirLive.
The aircraft circled for several minutes before being directed to Manchester Airport due to a potential depressurisation issue. The Airbus A319, capable of carrying up to 130 passengers, was reportedly met by emergency services.
It is believed that a technical fault with a sensor device caused the problem, leading to all passengers being disembarked while comprehensive checks were conducted by British Airways engineers. A replacement aircraft was sourced allowing passengers to resume their journeys.
It is understood that the delay lasted approximately three hours in total. Matthew Hall, managing director of airport transfers app hoppa, has previously stated that compensation rights typically depend on whether the airline is at fault, such as mechanical issues or staff shortages.
He said “Since leaving the EU, UK flights are still covered by a similar law that protects passenger’s rights when faced with travel delays.”
This applies if you are departing from a UK airport, arriving at a UK airport on an EU or UK airline, leaving an EAA airport, or arriving in the EU on a UK airline.
“If your flight is a non-UK flight that is part of a connection to a UK flight, then you can still claim if you are delayed for more than three hours, you booked the flights as a single booking, and the delay is the airlines fault,” adds Hall.
Cancellations with less than 14 days notice by law entitle you to compensation, depending on the length of the flight route.
“With short-haul flights (
And this rises to £350 for medium-haul flights (1,500-3,500km i.e. Leeds Bradford to Tenerife South) if you reach your final destination more than three hours after originally scheduled, explains Hall.
“Although, this can reduced to £175 if arriving within three hours of schedule and announced with more than seven days’ notice,” adds Hall.