All flights scheduled to land at Edinburgh Airport have been halted following an emergency landing by a British Airways aircraft due to landing gear malfunction. The incident, involving flight BA1443 from Edinburgh to London Heathrow, prompted the declaration of a general emergency after the landing gear failed to retract, according to online flight trackers.
Airport officials confirmed the safe landing of the Airbus A320-232 aircraft, with passengers being evacuated from the plane. Edinburgh Airport authorities indicated that flight operations would resume later, although the exact time was not specified.
The aircraft made an emergency signal shortly after departure, prompting it to circle over open terrain north of Edinburgh before returning to the airport. Flight tracking data revealed that the plane circled for approximately 35 minutes at an altitude of 6,500 feet before landing back at the airport.
When an emergency is declared, air traffic control (ATC) grants priority to the affected flight, allowing it to access the runway promptly. British Airways issued a statement acknowledging the technical issue identified by the pilots post-takeoff and apologized to passengers for the disruption, assuring that efforts were underway to minimize delays for affected travelers.