Two flights at the UK’s second largest airport Gatwick suffered mid-air emergencies within 60 seconds of each other.
The first, a British Airways Boeing 777-200, reportedly declared a full emergency due to the presence of toxic fumes inside the cabin around an hour after taking off.
Flight BA2203 to Cancun, Mexico, was forced to circle London for 45 minutes before returning to Gatwick to land at 3.29pm on Tuesday.
According to The Sun, passengers and crew reported a smell of used socks and feelings of dizziness inside the aircraft cabin.
In a statement to The Standard, British Airways said: “The aircraft landed safely at Gatwick after our pilots identified a technical issue. Our customers disembarked normally and we’ve apologised for the disruption to their travel plans.”
The airline added that the service between London and Cancun resumed the following morning, with all customers being provided with overnight hotel accommodation.
Just a minute later at 3:30pm, easyJet flight EZY8520 from Madeira also reportedly declared a “pan pan” urgency signal caused by a suspected bird strike.
As reported by The Sun, the pilots of the twin-jet Airbus A320 requested a “continuous descent into Gatwick airport” and “sterile runway”.
The airline told The Standard: "Flight EZY8520 from Funchal to London Gatwick on 15 July requested a priority landing into London Gatwick.
"The aircraft landed normally was met by emergency services in line with procedures, purely as a precaution.
“The safety of our customers and crew is easyJet's highest priority and easyJet operates its fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers’ guidelines.”
A bird strike is when a bird collides with an aircraft during its flight, take off, or landing. The strikes can cause significant damage to aircraft engines, though bird strikes are seldom linked to fatal plane crashes.
“Pan pan” is an internationally recognised radio signal used to indicate urgent situations that are not yet life threatening or critical. It is purposefully distinct from the Mayday call.
