Passengers aboard a Turkish Airlines A321neo flight, identified as TK1997, experienced an unexpected diversion on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, as the aircraft made its way from Istanbul to London Gatwick.
The flight, operated by the Airbus A321neo aircraft with the registration TC-LSN, was on its final approach to runway 08R at London Gatwick when it encountered an impediment caused by another aircraft taking off.
In response to instructions from air traffic control, the Turkish crew promptly executed a go-around, a maneuver that involves aborting the landing attempt to allow for safe separation between aircraft. However, due to prior holding patterns and the resulting congestion in air traffic at the time, the pilots were confronted with a low fuel situation, leading them to declare an emergency.
Ensuring the safety of the passengers and crew, Flight TK1997 successfully diverted to Birmingham Airport, located northwest of London. Approximately 20 minutes after the emergency declaration, at 17:10 BST, the aircraft touched down safely at Birmingham Airport.
Following the landing, the Airbus A321neo underwent refueling procedures at Birmingham Airport, which took approximately 1.5 hours. Once refueled, the flight resumed its journey to London Gatwick, allowing passengers to reach their intended destination as planned.
