An Air India flight to Birmingham was forced to divert after pilots declared an emergency in mid-air amid heavy snowfall and freezing conditions brought by Storm Goretti
09:28, 10 Jan 2026Updated 09:44, 10 Jan 2026
The plane was forced to divert to Heathrow(Image: AirNav Radar)
An Air India flight to the UK was forced to divert after pilots declared an emergency.
Flight AI117, travelling from Amritsar in India’s Punjab state, issued a “Squawk 7700” – the radio code for a general emergency – as it approached Birmingham Airport on Thursday evening. Heavy snowfall and freezing conditions brought by Storm Goretti had reduced visibility to below 500 metres, under the minimum required for a successful touchdown.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner diverted near Leamington Spa, turning towards London, according to flight-tracking data. The emergency was triggered by a “Minimum Fuel” situation, as the plane’s holding pattern depleted reserves beyond what was safe for another orbit, AirLive reports. The emergency code gave the plane priority handling from Air Traffic Control (ATC).
Snow covered Birmingham Airport on Friday(Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)
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The flight was rerouted to London Heathrow, where longer runways and Category III Instrument Landing Systems provide a higher safety margin for planes landing on limited fuel. The airliner landed safely in London.
Birmingham Airport suspended all runway operations on Thursday evening due to heavy snow. The airport said: “Due to heavy snow, runway operations are currently suspended. We will continue to keep our website updated with changes as they happen. Passengers due to travel from Birmingham Airport are advised to contact their airline for the latest updates on their flight.”
Flights to Paris, Bergamo, Geneva, Delhi were among those cancelled or delayed. Services from Edinburgh, Belfast, Paris, Amsterdam and other cities were also cancelled due to the closure.
The Air India plane landed at Heathrow (stock)(Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
An update on the airport’s Facebook page at 5.10am on Friday read: “Our teams are completing final snow clearance and safety checks on the airfield. Runway operations are still suspended at this time however, passenger security processing has commenced.
“The safety of our colleagues and customers is our number one priority. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause. Passengers due to travel should contact their airline regarding the status of flights.”
East Midlands Airport also closed its runway briefly early on Thursday, and dozens of flights to and from Heathrow Airport – as well as a handful from Luton Airport – were cancelled on Friday.
Met Office warnings in place today(Image: )
Met Office warnings still remain in place today. Met Office Chief Forecaster Steve Willington said: “Following on from a Saturday which will be largely dry away from northeastern parts of Scotland and England, a front from the west on Sunday will bring snow for parts of Scotland and northern England with low temperatures continuing the ice risk.
“A further 2-5cm of snow is possible to accumulate at low levels within the warning area on Sunday, with 10-20cm possible over higher ground. With much of this falling in areas that have already seen severe snowfall, ongoing disruption is likely. Those in central and southern England and Wales will see this fall as rain, in what will be a wet Sunday for many.”