Passengers were diverted back to Heathrow airport only minutes into their flight to Delhi after the plane suffered a technical issue.
Low-cost Indian airline IndiGo departed from Heathrow airport at 8.39pm on Tuesday, 22 September, for an almost 10-hour routine flight to Delhi, India.
Only 20 minutes into the long-haul flight, passengers found that their journey had been cut short. After flying eastward over the Channel, flight 6E4 made a sudden U-turn before it could reach Belgium and diverted back to London.
The flight transmitted emergency squawk code 7700 after identifying an issue, according to The Standard. It is unclear what caused the flight to turn around.
Squawk 7700 is a universal transponder code that alerts air traffic control when a plane needs immediate assistance for a general emergency, allowing the airport to clear the runway and prepare emergency services for when the flight arrives.
The Boeing 787 landed around 9.20pm, less than an hour after take-off.
In a statement, IndiGo said: “A technical issue was detected shortly after take-off on IndiGo flight 6E04 operating from London to New Delhi on 22 September.
“Following standard operating procedures, the pilots decided to turn back and landed the aircraft safely at London Heathrow airport.
“The aircraft is currently undergoing maintenance checks and will resume operations after securing all necessary clearances.”
The airline added that it offered hotel accommodation to passengers and placed them on the next available flights to Delhi to minimise the inconvenience caused.
“The safety of our customers, crew, and aircraft remains our top priority,” IndiGo said.
Earlier this month, another flight landed at Heathrow after declaring an in-flight emergency following a technical issue.
The British Airways flight was always due to land at the airport after departing Dublin, Ireland, but during the journey the crew issued a squawk code 7700.
A spokesperson for British Airways said: “The aircraft landed safely at Heathrow following a minor technical issue.”
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