A Lufthansa flight bound for Munich was forced to make an emergency return to London Heathrow shortly after takeoff on Thursday morning.
LONDON – Lufthansa flight LH2473, operated by an Airbus A320neo, departed Heathrow’s runway 09R at 11:36 GMT, approximately 26 minutes behind its scheduled departure time of 11:10.
Rapid Descent and Diversion
The flight appeared to proceed normally for the first few minutes of the climb. However, upon reaching an altitude of approximately 14,000 feet, the flight crew transmitted a Squawk 7700 code—the international signal for a general emergency.
Flight tracking data shows the aircraft (registration D-AIND) immediately halted its ascent and initiated a sharp turn back toward the airport.
Swift Return to Ground
The crew performed an expedited approach, successfully landing the aircraft on Heathrow’s runway 09L at 12:07 GMT. The entire ordeal lasted just 31 minutes from rotation to touchdown.
Upon landing, the aircraft was met by ground crews and directed to a remote stand rather than a standard terminal gate, a common procedure during unplanned returns to allow for safety inspections without obstructing terminal traffic.
“The aircraft landed safely and all passengers are being assisted by ground staff,” a spokesperson noted in a brief update.
UPDATE
According to AIRLIVE‘s source, pilots had to shut down the engine #1 during climb due to a fire alert. Once landing, the fire brigade inspected the aircraft. The passengers were booked on a next flight.
