A TUI Airways flight bound for the Caribbean was forced to abort its transatlantic journey and divert to London Gatwick on Tuesday afternoon following a technical issue mid-flight.
LONDON — Flight BY636, a regularly scheduled service from Birmingham Airport (BHX) to Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ), made a dramatic U-turn over the Atlantic Ocean after its onboard weather radar became inoperative.
Mid-Ocean Turnaround
The flight, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with registration G-TUIM, departed Birmingham at 10:10 AM BST. According to flight tracking data, the aircraft executed a standard departure and climbed to its initial cruising altitude of 36,000 feet as it headed west across the Atlantic.
However, roughly three hours into the flight, approaching the midway point of its oceanic crossing, the crew encountered a critical system malfunction.
Data transmitted via Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) messages confirmed that the aircraft’s primary weather radar had failed reported by AirportWebcams. Because navigating tropical weather systems and convective activity over the Atlantic requires operational radar for safety, the flight crew made the decision to abandon the crossing and return to the UK.
Touchdown at Gatwick
Rather than returning to its origin point in Birmingham, the Dreamliner was diverted south to London Gatwick Airport (LGW), which serves as a major maintenance base and hub for TUI UK’s long-haul fleet.
The aircraft landed safely at Gatwick at approximately 3:45 PM BST, putting a definitive end to what became a “flight to nowhere.” In total, the passengers spent nearly six hours in the air only to land roughly 130 miles southeast of where they originally started.
TUI UK has not yet released an official statement regarding the timeline for passengers to resume their journey to Jamaica, though travelers are expected to be transferred to a replacement aircraft or accommodated during the maintenance delay. No emergency declaration was made, and the landing was completed without further incident.
UPDATE 16:00 BST
The flight landed on runway 26L at LGW then taxied to the gate.
