BA Flight U-Turns After Cracked Window Alarm

A British Airways flight from London Gatwick to Faro, Portugal, has been forced to make an emergency U-turn after pilots reported a cracked window panel on the right side of the aircraft ^[1]. The BA EuroFlyer service, operating as flight BA2660, departed at around 9am on Tuesday and was approximately one hour into its journey when it passed over Brittany, France, before declaring a mid-air emergency ^[2].

AirNav Radar, which tracks aircraft in real time, raised the alarm, stating that the Airbus A321-231 had reported a cracked passenger window ^[1]. The flight deck was reportedly conducting checks before deciding on a diversion, with tracking data showing the plane making a sharp U-turn shortly after the alert ^[2].

Flight-tracking website Flightradar24 confirmed the aircraft is now returning to Gatwick, having reversed course from its original route to the Algarve ^[1]. The Airbus involved is 22 years old and has a capacity of 218 seats, according to registration details.

Aviation news outlet AirLive reported that the pilots observed 'structural damage to a window panel' ^[2]. No further details have been released by British Airways, which has not yet commented on the incident ^[1].

The cause of the emergency remains unconfirmed, and authorities have not yet issued a statement on whether the crack posed a safety risk or if the aircraft was deemed airworthy after the return to Gatwick ^[2].

This incident adds to recent aviation disruptions, including a Jet2 flight cancellation to the Canary Islands and a New York-bound flight evacuated in Israel over a bomb threat ^[1].

What happens next is unclear, but the aircraft is expected to undergo inspections upon landing. Passengers are likely to be rebooked or offered refunds as British Airways assesses the situation. The story was first reported by Metro and Daily Mail.