A Jet2 flight heading to Spain had to make an emergency landing in London while flying at 37,000ft over the southern part of England.
Flight LS257, which took off from Leeds Bradford Airport at 4.40pm on Wednesday bound for Palma de Mallorca, had been in the air for about 40 minutes when the crew signaled a general emergency using the code “Squawk 7700” due to a passenger needing medical assistance, as mentioned by a Jet2 spokesperson.
The air traffic control system immediately prioritized the flight and directed it to London Stansted Airport, where emergency services were on standby, following standard protocol, according to aviation resource AirLive. The plane successfully landed at 5.50pm, as per flight-tracking data.
This incident occurred as Manchester Airports Group, which operates Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands airports, reported a 2.4% increase in passenger numbers for May compared to the previous year. The rise was attributed to the significant travel of Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace fans for European football finals.
In contrast, Heathrow Airport observed a decrease in passenger numbers last month despite marking its busiest day ever in May. The airport mentioned that 7.1 million passengers traveled through its terminals in May, a 1.2% decline year-on-year.
UK passenger figures dropped by 1.9%, with Middle Eastern numbers down by 31% due to the conflict between the US and Iran. However, this decline was less severe than the 5.3% decrease in April, which Heathrow linked to temporary disruptions from the conflict.
Heathrow’s busiest day for May was on May 22, with 262,000 passengers passing through at the beginning of the school half-term break.