Emergency on British Airways flight, plane descended 28,000 feet within minutes, passengers left anxious

London (The Uttam Hindu): Panic broke out on a British Airways transatlantic flight from London to Chicago on Monday when the aircraft suddenly began descending while flying over Ireland. After the aircraft issued the emergency transponder code 7700, air traffic control and flight-tracking systems began monitoring its movements.

British Airways flight BA295 took off from Terminal 5 of London's Heathrow Airport at around 11:50 am local time for Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The scheduled flight time was approximately 8 hours and 40 minutes.

Plane rapidly descended from 37,000 feet

About an hour after takeoff, the aircraft had reached an altitude of around 37,000 feet. During this time, an operational issue reportedly emerged on board. The aircraft then began descending rapidly and dropped to around 28,000 feet within a short period. At the time, the aircraft was flying over Ireland.

Reports of flight returning to London instead of Chicago

According to flight-tracking data, BA295 later changed direction and headed back towards London's Heathrow Airport. This indicated that the flight was being diverted back to London instead of continuing its journey to Chicago.

However, British Airways did not immediately provide detailed official information about the incident or clarify the exact reason for the aircraft's return to London.

7700 code signals emergency

The aircraft's transponder issued the 7700 code, which is used in aviation to indicate a general emergency situation. Following the alert, air traffic control and flight-tracking systems continued to monitor the aircraft's movements.

The aircraft's safe return and landing are currently being monitored. Official information from the airline regarding the cause of the incident and the condition of the passengers on board is awaited.