An emergency situation unfolded as an easyJet flight approached Manchester Airport. Passengers traveling from Amsterdam experienced a mid-air alert on the Airbus A320-200, prompting the pilot to circle the aircraft in a holding pattern before landing.
The flight, identified as easyJet U22164 from Schiphol Airport, deviated from its usual approach path into Manchester Airport, according to flight trackers. Approximately an hour after takeoff, the flight crew declared the emergency as they prepared for descent into Manchester, as reported by Air Live.
In such scenarios, a squawk code of 7700 is typically issued to indicate an onboard emergency, signaling air traffic control to prioritize the aircraft for landing with emergency services on standby. This code is a general emergency indicator, covering various emergency situations other than hijacking (7500) or radio failure (7600).
Following the emergency declaration, the aircraft was directed onto the approach path and safely landed on Runway 05R at Manchester Airport without any further issues. Despite circling the airport, the plane touched down at 3:05 pm, delayed by 45 minutes from the scheduled arrival time of 2:20 pm.
An easyJet spokesperson informed The Mirror that a priority landing was requested due to a “technical issue.” The airline’s statement clarified that flight EZY2164 from Amsterdam to Manchester requested a priority landing on July 15 due to a technical problem, ensuring a safe and standard disembarkation process for passengers.
Earlier in the month, the UK experienced flight delays due to an air traffic control issue affecting hundreds of flights. Disruption in UK airspace on July 7 stemmed from a problem at the Met Office, preventing the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) from receiving crucial weather information.
Ryanair encountered delays in 155 flights, affecting around 30,000 passengers with up to three-hour delays, while EasyJet faced more significant impact with 253 delayed flights, representing 13% of its total planned departures for the day. NATS attributed the issue to a Met Office technical problem that hindered weather information flow into their systems.
NATS spokesperson highlighted the importance of accurate weather data for flight safety and informed that the air traffic restrictions imposed due to the issue had been lifted. Collaboration with the Met Office continued to resolve the underlying problem, ensuring smoother operations in the future.