Storm Ciara forces BA flight to make emergency landing as fuel 'ran close to reserves'
A BA flight from Geneva to Gatwick has declared an emergency in order to land swiftly, after diverting to Lyon in southern France. The Airbus A320 operating BA2749 diverted to Lyon“squawked 7700” after spending hours in flight. The plane took off almost three hours late from the Swiss airport, and flew a holding pattern near Gatwick. But it was unable to land safely, and the decision was taken to fly to Lyon – just 100 miles from where it had started. Having spent far longer than normal in flight, the plane is thought to have been running close to its fuel reserves – which allow for half-an-hour of flight. The BA operation at its main base, Heathrow, is “unravelling,” according to one passenger caught up in the chaos caused by Storm Ciara. BA had pre-emptively cancelled about 140 flights – but has now abruptly cancelled dozens more from its hub at Heathrow Terminal 5. Many of them are long-haul flights, each of them involving hundreds of passengers. Many other carriers are experiencing problems. Emirates flight 15 from Dubai to Gatwick made several attempts at landing before diverting to Zurich. The disruption is likely to take days to sort out, and will cost the airlines tens of millions of pounds in care costs, additional flying and lost revenue.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2020-02-10/oneworld/storm-ciara-forces-ba-flight-to-make-emergency-landing-as-fuel-ran-close-to-reserves
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Storm Ciara forces BA flight to make emergency landing as fuel 'ran close to reserves'
A BA flight from Geneva to Gatwick has declared an emergency in order to land swiftly, after diverting to Lyon in southern France. The Airbus A320 operating BA2749 diverted to Lyon“squawked 7700” after spending hours in flight. The plane took off almost three hours late from the Swiss airport, and flew a holding pattern near Gatwick. But it was unable to land safely, and the decision was taken to fly to Lyon – just 100 miles from where it had started. Having spent far longer than normal in flight, the plane is thought to have been running close to its fuel reserves – which allow for half-an-hour of flight. The BA operation at its main base, Heathrow, is “unravelling,” according to one passenger caught up in the chaos caused by Storm Ciara. BA had pre-emptively cancelled about 140 flights – but has now abruptly cancelled dozens more from its hub at Heathrow Terminal 5. Many of them are long-haul flights, each of them involving hundreds of passengers. Many other carriers are experiencing problems. Emirates flight 15 from Dubai to Gatwick made several attempts at landing before diverting to Zurich. The disruption is likely to take days to sort out, and will cost the airlines tens of millions of pounds in care costs, additional flying and lost revenue.<br/>
