British Airways has faced a turbulent week, with two separate flights hit by technical issues.
A BA flight dumped fuel off Scotland.(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A long-haul British Airways flight was forced to dump fuel over the Hebrides and return to London after experiencing a technical issue today.
Flight BA285, flying from London Heathrow to San Francisco, was reported by global flight tracking service FlightRadar24 to have entered a holding pattern west of the islands for around an hour. The airline later confirmed the delay.
A British Airways spokesperson said: “The flight landed safely and customers disembarked normally following reports of a technical issue with the aircraft. We’ve apologised to our customers for the delay, and our teams are working to get their journeys back on track.”
Earlier this week, Edinburgh Airport was forced to suspend flights after another British Airways plane, BA1443 from Edinburgh to London Heathrow, declared a mid-air emergency shortly after take-off on Monday, December 8.
The Airbus A320 circled above Stirling and Alloa before the pilot initiated an emergency procedure known as squawking 7700, signalling a general emergency.
The plane returned to Edinburgh minutes later. Images shared on social media showed the aircraft on the runway with fire crews and police responding. Six fire appliances, a heavy rescue vehicle, and a height appliance from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were deployed as a precaution.
Flight BA1443 landed safely at Edinburgh Airport but has remained on the runway(Image: Dave Scott)
British Airways confirmed a technical issue had been identified after take-off. A spokesperson said: “The aircraft returned to Edinburgh Airport safely after our pilots identified a technical issue after take-off. We’ve apologised to our customers for the disruption to their journey and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as soon as possible.”
Edinburgh Airport later confirmed operations had resumed after clearing hydraulic fluid from the runway and towing the plane to its stand. A spokesman said: “Safety is always paramount. Passengers were safely transferred to coaches, and our teams worked quickly to resume operations. We thank everyone for their patience.”
The incidents have caused widespread disruption, with flights from EasyJet, Ryanair, and Qatar Airways diverted to nearby airports while emergency procedures were carried out.
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