BA flight from Gatwick U-turns after emergency over cracked window

Summarised from 5 outlets · Updated 13 Oct, 11:14 · Archive

A British Airways flight from London Gatwick to Portugal declared a mid-air emergency and diverted back to the UK following reports of a cracked window.

British Airways flight BA2660 from London Gatwick to Faro, Portugal declared a mid-air emergency on Tuesday morning and diverted back to the UK. The Airbus A321-231 departed Gatwick at around 9am and issued an emergency signal to air traffic control roughly an hour into the flight, shortly after passing over Brittany in north-western France.

Flight-tracking services detected the aircraft making a sharp U-turn and heading back towards London. AirNav Radar reported that the BA EuroFlyer-operated service had declared an emergency and was preparing to divert. The aircraft landed safely back at London Gatwick.

Reports circulating online suggested that pilots had spotted structural damage to a window panel on the right side of the aircraft. AirNav Radar reported on X that a passenger window was cracked and the flight deck was carrying out checks before determining where to divert. The precise circumstances behind the emergency remain unclear.

A spokesperson for British Airways said: 'The aircraft diverted following a minor technical issue and landed safely back at London Gatwick. We have apologised to customers for the delay to their journey, and our teams are working hard to get their travel plans back on track.' The airline did not provide further details about the technical issue.

The Airbus A321-231 involved is 22 years old and has 218 seats according to aircraft registration details. The cause of the reported window damage has not been confirmed.

How it is being reported

• BA flight from Gatwick declares mid-air emergency following reports of 'cracked window'AirNav Radar reported that the BA Euroflyer service had declared an emergency and was diverting back to GatwickEvening Standard · 13 Oct, 11:10
• BA flight from Gatwick to Portugal is forced to make U-turn after declaring mid-air emergency over 'cracked window'A British Airways flight has been forced to make an urgent diversion following reports of a cracked window.Daily Mail · 13 Oct, 10:59
• British Airways flight turns back to London Gatwick after mid-air emergency over 'cracked window'A British Airways flight travelling to Portugal was forced to abandon its journey and return to London Gatwick Airport this morning after declaring an emergency mid-flight, amid reports of a cracked window. Flight BA2660 was en route to Faro when the incident occurred, prompting the Airbus A321-231 to turn back towards the UK. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft making a sharp change of direction shortly after crossing the Brittany region of north-western France, reversing course instead of continuing towards its destination. The incident was flagged by flight-tracking service AirNav…GB News · 13 Oct, 10:48
• Horror as British Airways flight declares emergency mid-air due to 'crack on plane'The plane declared the incident while flying from London Gatwick.Daily Express · 13 Oct, 10:46
• Plane from Gatwick U-turns after emergency declared over ‘cracked window’The holiday flight from Gatwick to Portugal ran into trouble this morning, forcing it to turn back (Picture: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto) A flight from London Gatwick to Portugal declared a mid-air emergency after reports of a cracked window. British Airways flight BA2660 from the UK’s second busiest…Metro · 13 Oct, 10:23

In this story: British Airways · London Gatwick · Faro · Portugal · Brittany · BA EuroFlyer

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