London to Chicago BA flight declares emergency after dropping 28,000 feet
The Guardian • • business
Key Points:
- British Airways flight BA295 from London to Chicago declared an emergency after a sudden 28,000-foot descent over Ireland due to a technical issue, prompting oxygen masks to deploy and the plane to return safely to London Heathrow.
- The Boeing 777-200ER had reached cruising altitude before encountering turbulence and descending rapidly to below 10,000 feet, with pilots issuing a 7700 emergency squawk and holding over the Bristol Channel to burn fuel before landing.
- Passengers reported uncertainty when oxygen masks dropped, but the descent was managed smoothly by pilots, and no injuries were reported during the emergency.
- BA confirmed the safety of passengers and crew as their top priority and stated that travel plans for affected customers are being rearranged; the official cause of the emergency, possibly cabin depressurisation, has not yet been confirmed.
- The aircraft involved is one of BA’s oldest Boeing 777-200ERs, delivered in 1997, and many passengers have been rebooked on flights departing the following day.
