LONDON — An IndiGo Airlines flight bound for New Delhi was forced to turn back to London Heathrow Airport after declaring an emergency shortly after departure.
Flight 6E4, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (registration LN-FND), departed London Heathrow’s Runway 27R at 20:05 BST. The long-haul flight was scheduled to cross Europe and the Middle East en route to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
However, initial flight tracking data indicates that as the widebody aircraft reached the English Channel, the flight crew halted its climb at 24,000 feet. Shortly thereafter, the crew transmitted a squawk code of 7700 (the international signal for a general onboard emergency) alerting Air Traffic Control (ATC) that the aircraft required priority handling.
Upon setting the transponder code, the crew executed a turn back toward British airspace. Air traffic controllers immediately cleared a path for the aircraft’s return to the London area to facilitate a safe landing.
While the precise nature of the issue, whether technical, mechanical, or medical, has not been officially confirmed, declaring an emergency gives the flight immediate landing priority, dedicated airspace clearance, and standby ground rescue services upon touchdown.
UPDATE 21:18 BST
On approach to runway 27L.
UPDATE 21:23 BST
Touch down on runway 27L, EMS reaching the Dreamliner.
UPDATE 21:37 BST
Taxied to a remote stand of the airport, escorted by firetrucks.
