- British Airways flight BA707 from Larnaca, Cyprus, was delayed by over three hours on 19 October due to an unspecified technical issue that was resolved before passenger boarding.
- Due to the delay, the four-and-a-half-hour flight was unable to land at Heathrow Airport before its operating window closed, forcing a diversion to London Gatwick where it landed just after midnight.
- FlightRadar24 tracking data indicated that the Airbus A320 flew directly to Gatwick rather than circling Heathrow, confirming that the flight crew were aware of the diversion before reaching UK airspace.
- Heathrow Airport operates under strict government noise restrictions and quota limits that cap night flights at 5,800 annually, with no scheduled arrivals permitted between 10.55pm and 5.05am.
- British Airways apologised to passengers for the disruption and stated that ground staff worked swiftly to arrange onward transport from Gatwick to get travellers to their final destinations.
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