Why British Airways flight heading to Portugal was forced to turn back to London

• A British Airways flight from Gatwick to Faro in Portugal was forced to turn back to London following reports of a cracked passenger window.
• The Airbus A321 issued a squawk 7700 general emergency alert approximately an hour into the flight after turning around near Brittany, France.
• Crew identified structural damage to a window panel on the right side of the aircraft near row 3R before declaring the emergency.
• Emergency ground crews met the aircraft at London Gatwick, where it landed safely without further incident.
• British Airways apologised to affected passengers for the delay and confirmed teams were working to get their travel plans back on track.

IN FULL

British Airways flight diverted in mid-air emergency over cracked window