British Airways Boeing 777 Makes Emergency Descent of 28,000 Feet, Returns Safely to Heathrow

Before concerns over the Flydubai co-pilot incident could subside, another aircraft incident caused serious alarm. A British Airways Boeing 777-200ER flying from London Heathrow Airport to Chicago on Monday suddenly descended from an altitude of 37,000 feet to around 9,000 feet, causing panic among passengers and concern among airline officials.

The aircraft departed Heathrow at around 11:50 am local time on Monday. While flying over Irish airspace, it suddenly lost altitude by as much as 28,000 feet. Alarmed by the situation, the pilots transmitted the 7700 emergency squawk code, which is used to indicate a general emergency.

Heathrow Airport authorities immediately responded and instructed the aircraft to return. After struggling to regain control and making several attempts, the pilots eventually landed the aircraft safely at Heathrow.

British Airways has not released full details of the incident. However, the airline stated that the incident was caused by a loss of cabin pressure.The aircraft is reportedly around 30 years old and is among the longest-serving aircraft in the British Airways fleet, according to UK government sources.