A British Airways plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Uzbekistan today after a female passenger became ill on board.
Flight BA260 departed from Islamabad, Pakistan at 00:38 on Wednesday and was scheduled to fly into London Heathrow.
However, the Boeing 777 made its emergency landing two hours and 50 minutes into the flight, Uzbek media reported.
Other passengers were taken off the plane and were reported to be waiting at the terminal in the former Soviet state, which borders Afghanistan.
‘We’re very sorry, this flight scheduled from Islamabad to London has been diverted to Tashkent,’ a message carried by the BA flight tracker read.
The woman, aged 83, was reported to have died soon after arrival in the capital, Tashkent.
The identity or nationality of the woman has not been made public.
The flight was further delayed after a ‘technical problem’ emerged as the flight was being refuelled, according to the Uzbek media. Special dispensation had to be given for a local engineer to fix a malfunctioning pump on the Boeing 777, an aircraft not normally seen in Tashkent.
After the repairs, the crew’s hours had expired and they were ordered to rest before being given the go-ahead to continue the interrupted flight.
