British Airways. Photo: Bradley Caslin / Shutterstock.com A British Airways Boeing 777 flying from London Heathrow to Chicago turned back toward London on Monday after declaring an emergency while flying over Ireland.
Flight BA295, operated by a Boeing 777-200ER registered G-VIIA, departed Heathrow at around 11:50 a.m. local time bound for Chicago O'Hare. Flight-tracking data later showed the aircraft had descended rapidly from its cruising altitude and activated the emergency transponder code 7700.
The aircraft had climbed to around 37,000 feet before descending to approximately 9,000 feet while over Ireland, according to tracking data. It then changed course and began flying back toward London Heathrow rather than continuing across the Atlantic to Chicago.
Squawk 7700 is the internationally recognized transponder code used to alert air traffic controllers that an aircraft is experiencing a general emergency. The code does not identify the nature of the problem.
The reason for the emergency has not been officially confirmed. A rapid descent to a lower altitude can occur for a number of reasons, including cabin pressurization or other technical issues, but there is currently no confirmation that any particular problem caused Monday's incident.
The flight-tracking information showed the aircraft at around 9,000 feet and later heading back toward Heathrow. The flight was subsequently listed as diverting to London rather than continuing to Chicago.