A British Airways flight bound for Singapore was forced to make an emergency landing after pilot issued a mayday call shortly after departure.
Sydney, September 3, 2025 — The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, operating as Flight BA16, departed Sydney just after 3 p.m. with hundreds of passengers onboard.
About an hour into the flight, while over the Central Tablelands region near Orange, the crew of the aircraft (registration G-ZBKL) reported an emergency and turned the aircraft back to Sydney.
A Sydney Airport spokesperson confirmed the diversion: “Earlier this afternoon, British Airways flight BA16 from Sydney to Singapore made an emergency return to Sydney Airport approximately an hour after take-off. The aircraft arrived safely and was met by emergency services as part of standard procedures. All passengers have since disembarked safely, and there has been no impact to airport operations.”
According to sources, the flight BA16 returned to SYD due to report of smoke or smell in the cockpit.
