British Airways flight BA295, operating from London to Chicago, declared an emergency after squawking 7700 and descending to an altitude of 9,000 feet while flying over Ireland, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The aircraft has now been diverted back to London, the flight tracker showed.
Squawk 7700 is the internationally recognised transponder code used by aircraft to indicate a general emergency. The reason for the emergency has not been made public so far Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft, after making the steep descent to around 9,000 feet over Ireland, turned back towards the UK instead of continuing its journey to Chicago. This comes days after the flydubai incident involving flight FZ1073, which was bound for Tel Aviv from Dubai and plunged 17,400 feet in just under two minutes. The Boeing 737-8 was carrying 174 passengers, including children. The code 7700 is used to signal a general emergency.
It subsequently flew south of Wales and over southwestern England before making several turns over the English Channel, as it headed back towards London. It was later learnt that the incident was allegedly caused by the co-pilot attempting to crash the plane after attacking Captain Smit Machchhar. The aircraft was eventually diverted to Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. A squawk is a four-digit code that an aircraft’s transponder sends to air traffic control.
Earlier reporting noted: British Airways flight BA295 from London to Chicago declared an emergency over Ireland and is diverting to London, according to flight tracking data.
Earlier reporting noted: British Airways Flight From London To Chicago Declares Emergency Over Ireland British Airways Flight From London To Chicago Declares Emergency Over Ireland British Airways Flight From London To Chicago Declares Emergency Over Ireland Earlier reporting noted: A squawk is a four-digit code that an aircraft’s transponder sends to air traffic control.
