Two British Airways Boeing 777 aircraft, initially headed to Orlando and Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, were forced to return to London Gatwick Airport within a span of 24 hours due to onboard issues. The first incident was recorded on Monday during British Airways flight BA2037’s journey from London Gatwick to Orlando. Renowned aviation watchdog, @FlightEmergency, shared on Twitter that the aircraft had to reroute because of a cracked windscreen.
The plane remained airborne for around four and a half hours before safely landing at Gatwick, where it was met by emergency services
The second incident on Tuesday the BA2239 service, another Boeing 777-200ER of the British Airways fleet, bound for the Port of Spain in Trinidad & Tobago, faced its own challenges. After ascending to cruising altitudes over the North Atlantic, the crew decided to return to the UK.
The reason for this unexpected decision, as tweeted by @FlightEmergency was a fuel leak that made reaching the destination an impossibility. Echoing the response to Monday’s incident, it was reported on social media that emergency teams were promptly on the scene for the aircraft’s arrival at Gatwick this afternoon.
British Airways told Sussex.News “Our pilots returned to London Gatwick as a precaution due to separate minor technical issues, and both aircraft landed normally. We’ve apologised to customers for the disruption to their journey and our teams worked hard to get them on their way as soon as possible. The safety of our customers and colleagues is always our priority”
Flight BA2037 on Monday, BA apologised to customers for the inconvenience caused and offered options including rebooking or a full refund
Flight BA2239 on Tuesday, BA offered customers refreshment vouchers, changed the aircraft and crew and got customers back on their way as soon as possible. This aircraft has now landed in Port of Spain
