Passenger Plane Forced to Make Emergency Landing After Mid-Air Technical Fault

A passenger plane was forced to turn back to London’s Heathrow Airport shortly after takeoff on Thursday following an in-flight emergency.

The Lufthansa aircraft had departed Heathrow Airport around 11:30 a.m. local time and was en route to Munich when the situation unfolded. Flight tracking data shows the Airbus A320neo reversing course and heading back toward Heathrow minutes after departure.

While climbing to approximately 14,000 feet, the flight crew transmitted the international distress signal Squawk 7700, a code used to indicate a general emergency on board.

In a brief statement, Lufthansa confirmed the return, saying, “The flight had to return to LHR due to technical issues.”

The airline did not immediately specify the nature of the problem. However, the Aviation Herald reported that the issue may have involved a possible engine fire. According to the outlet, the aircraft vacated the runway after landing and stopped on a parallel taxiway so emergency services could carry out inspections.

Passenger reports cited by Aviation Herald said the crew informed those on board that the left engine had to be shut down due to a fire warning. After checks were completed, the plane reportedly taxied to the apron with emergency vehicles following behind.

AirLive also reported that pilots shut down an engine during the climb following a fire alert and that passengers were later rebooked onto another flight.

The incident comes just days after another aircraft transmitted the same Squawk 7700 distress signal. On January 10, an Air India flight traveling toward the UK issued the emergency code as it approached Birmingham.

That flight, AI117 from India, diverted while flying over Leamington Spa and instead rerouted to Heathrow, where it landed safely.