BA flight to Majorca returns to Gatwick after landing gear fault

A British Airways holiday flight bound for the sunny beaches of Majorca was forced to perform a dramatic U-turn over central France after declaring a mid-air emergency. According to the Mirror, flight BA2672, an Airbus A320 capable of carrying up to 180 passengers, was cruising at 37,000 feet when the crew received notification of a landing gear control system failure ^[1].

The aircraft had departed London Gatwick at 4:23pm but turned back approximately 40 minutes into the journey. The Daily Star reported that the pilots issued a squawk 7700 code, signalling a general emergency to air traffic control ^[2]. An assessment determined that the technical issue could not be resolved by maintenance crews upon arrival in Palma de Mallorca, necessitating the return to the UK.

The plane landed safely back at Gatwick at 6:00pm, where it was met by emergency ground crews waiting as a standard safety precaution. A spokesperson for British Airways confirmed the return, stating, "The aircraft safely returned to London Gatwick following a technical issue." The airline apologised for the delay, noting that teams had provided overnight accommodation for affected passengers ^[1].

In a separate incident involving aviation safety, the Daily Star noted that a TUI flight from Lanzarote to Newcastle also transmitted a 7700 squawk code shortly before landing at 1:16am on Monday. The nature of the emergency for flight BY1767 has not been identified, though aviation experts say the code can indicate various incidents. Unlike the BA flight, the TUI aircraft landed safely in the north east of England without needing to return to its departure airport ^[2].

For those stuck on the Majorca-bound flight, the wait is nearly over. British Airways confirmed that the replacement or repaired aircraft is set to depart for Palma de Mallorca later today, allowing passengers to finally resume their holiday plans.