The British Airways flight bound for Mexico landed at Gatwick due to “toxic fumes” in the cabin – as an easyJet plane was also forced to touch back down at the same airport a minute later
A British Airways flight was forced to make an emergency landing due to “toxic fumes” in the cabin.
The terrifying incident happened on Tuesday as the Boeing 777-200 had not long departed from Gatwick Airport. A “full emergency” was declared as oxygen masks were deployed to those on board and the pilots had to open the cockpit windows to allow in fresh air.
Flight BA2203 was bound for Cancun in Mexico but instead had to circle London for 45 minutes before it was safe to land back on one of the airport’s runways at 3:29pm. The unexpected return was almost an hour after the plane had taken off at 2:11pm.
Passengers among the 340 onboard reported a “smell of used socks” that left them feeling dizzy. It’s believed both passengers and staff needed medical attention due to exposure to the fumes.
The runway and BA plane both needed close inspection after the touchdown. BA’s flight was postponed for 24 hours and passengers were forced to stay in local airport hotels until it finally departed for Cancun yesterday.
Astonishingly, another plane was also forced to land back at Gatwick within a minute of the BA flight. EasyJet flight EZY8520 declared a “pan pan” situation – which is when an aviation incident is urgent but not life-threatening – caused by a suspected bird strike.
The pilots radioed for a “continuous descent into Gatwick airport” and “sterile runway” for the Airbus A320 that was heading for Madeira in Portugal and carrying approximately 190 crew and passengers. Once the plane touched back down at 3.30pm, airport officials had to inspect the runway before it was allowed to re-open.
Regarding the BA incident, an airline spokesperson told The Sun: “The aircraft landed safely at Gatwick after our pilots identified a technical issue. Customers disembarked normally and we’ve apologised for the disruption to their travel plans.”
While an easyJet spokesperson told the same outlet: “Flight EZY8520 from Funchal to London Gatwick on 15 July requested a priority landing into London Gatwick. The aircraft landed normally was met by emergency services in line with procedures, purely as a precaution.
“The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet’s highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
In June last year, a BA flight caught fire and was forced to abort take-off after a pilot confused his left and right on a runway at Gatwick. The Boeing 777 was bound for Vancouver in Canada, but the co-pilot “unintentionally” moved the wrong hand for the wrong control.
The shocking pilot error led to a 50-minute runway closure and 23 flight cancellations at the major UK airport. An investigation found that the surprise mistake led to the aircraft’s brakes catching fire, according to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
Officials revealed the co-pilot moved a lever to his left when he was meant to move it to his right. This action reduced the plane’s thrust at a moment when it was supposed to start pulling up off the runway.
The report added: “There was no obvious reason for him being primed to do that… and he could not identify a reason for it on the day.” This co-pilot “momentarily” sped up the plane before abandoning take-off altogether.
