British Airways flight diverts course over Ireland following mid-air emergency
This afternoon, a British Airways flight on route to Chicago issued a mid-air emergency alert, and has diverted its route back towards London Heathrow via the south-east of Ireland.
According to flight tracking data, the plane descended sharply whilst flying over the Irish midlands today.
The aircraft reportedly transmitted a Squawk 7700 code, indicating an emergency.
This code does not reveal the specific nature of the emergency.
Flight path data from the Flightradar24 website indicates that the plane diverted course while flying over the west of the country, and has since flown back towards Heathrow via airspace above the Wexford/Waterford area.
At time of publication, the plane remains airborne and is on route to Heathrow.
The aircraft has landed safely at London Heathrow, following a lengthy zig-zag holding pattern over the Bristol Channel on the west coast of England.
The worrying ordeal for passengers lasted 4 hours and 47 minutes.
The official cause of the diversion remains unconfirmed.
