A British Airways flight bound for Faro, Portugal, returned to London Gatwick Airport on Tuesday after experiencing a minor technical issue, reportedly involving a cracked passenger window.
Flight BA2660 was travelling to Faro, in Portugal’s Algarve region, when it diverted over north-western France and headed back to Gatwick.
Flight data provider AirNav Radar reported on X that a passenger window had cracked and the flight crew was conducting checks before deciding where to divert.
A British Airways spokesperson confirmed that the aircraft landed safely at Gatwick, describing the incident as a “minor technical issue.” The airline said passengers were expected to continue 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,” the spokesperson said.
According to AirNav Radar, the Airbus A321 transmitted the 7700 emergency code, which pilots use to indicate a general emergency or serious onboard situation requiring priority attention.
Incident Follows Another British Airways Flight Diversion
The latest incident comes a week after another British Airways flight, travelling to Chicago, returned to London Heathrow after spending around five hours circling over Ireland.
That aircraft issued an emergency alert, while passengers reported that oxygen masks had dropped inside the cabin and that the plane had encountered turbulence. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft descending rapidly from 37,000 feet to 9,000 feet before returning to Heathrow.
In a separate incident in August, Serbian passenger Ljubisa Karović was seriously injured after his head and right shoulder were reportedly pulled through a window on a Ryanair flight. The airline subsequently said the window might have been damaged by a foreign object.
British Airways has not publicly confirmed that a cracked window caused Tuesday’s diversion. The reported damage was attributed to AirNav Radar, while the airline’s statement referred only to a minor technical issue.
The aircraft landed safely, and the airline said it was working to minimise disruption for passengers. The incident highlights the precautionary measures airlines may take when a potential technical problem arises during flight, even when the aircraft can return safely to an airport.
