New Delhi: A Chennai-bound British Airways flight with 360 passengers onboard was forced to make an emergency U-turn mid-air due to a sudden technical malfunction on Sunday.
Sources said the flight had just reached cruising altitude when it briefly circled in the air before making an emergency landing back at London’s Heathrow Airport.
As per schedule, the British Airways flight from London arrives in Chennai at 3:30 am, and departs back to London at 5:35 am.
On Sunday, the flight departed from London with 360 passengers, and developed a technical snag soon after takeoff and began circling mid-air. After standard safety protocol, the plane returned to London and landed safely at Heathrow airport.
Confusion and concern
As a result of this, both Monday’s incoming flight from London (scheduled at 3:30 am) and the outgoing flight from Chennai to London (scheduled at 5:35 am) have been officially “cancelled”.
According to officials, 366 passengers were booked to fly from Chennai to London on this morning’s now-cancelled flight. Even though British Airways had informed passengers via individual online alerts on Sunday night, a number of travellers -— especially those coming from other cities —- were unaware and had already reached the Chennai airport early this morning. This led to confusion and concern among the affected passengers.
In all, over 700 passengers across London and Chennai have been impacted by the sudden cancellations.
Speaking to the media, airport authorities in Chennai said that, “In the wake of recent aviation safety concerns including the Ahmedabad crash, global airport protocols now require two or three rounds of pre-departure engine diagnostics before takeoff. Even minor irregularities in engine performance are treated seriously, and aircraft are only cleared for flight once all issues are resolved.”
“These checks may cause delays or cancellations, but they are essential for the safety of passengers,” said the officials. “Passenger lives are the top priority for every airline. That is why precautionary cancellations like this occur. We urge travelers to cooperate in such situations for their safety.”
