Two flights flying into London Gatwick Airport experienced mid-air emergencies within minutes of each other on Tuesday (15 July), with one flight requesting a priority landing following a suspected bird strike.
British Airways flight BA2203 departed from Gatwick at 2.30pm on Tuesday 15 July for an almost 10-hour journey to Cancun, Mexico.
However, this was cut short almost immediately after a strange smell took over the aircraft, which forced the pilots to make a last-minute diversion back to Gatwick.
The crew onboard said a “smell of used socks” left them feeling “dizzy”, with the mysterious smell leading to oxygen masks being deployed for passengers, according to The Sun.
Shortly after takeoff, the Boeing 777 circled the East Sussex coast for around half an hour before making its way back to the airport, data from FlightRadar shows.
The plane landed back at Gatwick at 3.29pm, with The Sun reporting that emergency services lined the runway to meet the plane as it came into land.
British Airways told The Independent that 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.”
Passengers were provided with overnight hotel accommodation by the airline and were able to board their flight to Cancun the following morning.
Within minutes of the BA incident, another flight requested priority landing.
EasyJet flight EZY8520 jetted from Funchal airport, Madeira, just before midday on Tuesday.
While flying into Gatwick, the pilots requested that their flight be given priority to land ahead of other scheduled planes due to a suspected bird strike.
A bird strike is a collision between a bird or airborne animal and an aircraft. They can cause significant damage to aircraft, with a risk of jet engines losing power should they suck in a bird.
Struck aircraft will often need to abort their take-off or landing attempts, which can be costly for airlines and their passengers.
An easyJet spokesperson told The Independent that “the aircraft landed normally and 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.”
The Independent has contacted Gatwick Airport for comment
