BA Flight Turns Back Due to Cracked Window
A British Airways (BA) flight en route to Portugal was forced to return to Gatwick Airport on Tuesday due to a minor technical issue, reportedly a cracked window.
Flight BA2660 was heading to Faro in the Algarve but diverted over north-western France to return to London Gatwick. AirNav Radar, a flight data provider, noted on X that "a passenger window is cracked. Flight deck going through checks before deciding where to divert."
A BA spokesperson confirmed the plane landed safely at Gatwick due to a "minor technical issue" and that passengers were expected to resume their journey. "We have apologised to customers for the delay to their journey, and our teams are working hard to get their travel plans back on track," they stated.
Airnav Radar reported that the BA Airbus A321 squawked the 7700 emergency code, used for mechanical or technical problems on board.
This incident follows a similar event last week, where a BA flight bound for Chicago spent five hours circling over the Irish Republic before turning back and landing at London Heathrow.
Additionally, in August, Ljubisa Karović from Serbia was seriously injured after a window on a Ryanair flight nearly sucked out his head and right shoulder, leading Ryanair to suggest the window may have been damaged by a foreign object.