A Ryanair flight bound for Portugal was forced to make an emergency landing in Dorset early this morning after declaring a mid-air emergency over Northern France.
BOURNEMOUTH – Flight FR5552 departed London Stansted Airport at 06:21 BST, heading for Faro. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-800 (registration 9H-QBS), had reached its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet and was passing over the Brittany region of France when the crew encountered an unspecified technical issue.
At approximately 45 minutes into the journey, the pilots transmitted a Squawk 7700 (the international signal for a general emergency) and initiated a rapid descent.
Diversion to Bournemouth
Rather than returning to the busy airspace of London Stansted, the flight crew opted to divert to Bournemouth Airport (BOH). Radar tracking showed the aircraft performing a sharp turn back toward the English coast, descending quickly to ensure a safe landing.
The aircraft touched down safely in Bournemouth just over an hour after its initial departure. Emergency services are typically on standby for such landings as a standard precautionary measure.
Medical emergency
According to our source, the diversion was due to a medical emergency on board. The flight is currently preparing to takeoff to get the passengers to their final destination in Portugal.
