A British Airways flight from London to Chicago declared an emergency over Ireland on Monday and descended sharply before heading back to London, according to flight-tracking data. Flight BA295, a Boeing 777, was squawking 7700, the code that tells air traffic control a crew needs priority handling. Flightradar24 data showed the aircraft dropped to around 9,000 feet while crossing the Atlantic, a fall of some 28,000 feet within minutes.
Further details on the condition of the aircraft and its flight path were still awaited. The authorities in the United Arab Emirates later described the incident as a terrorist attack and opened an investigation. The co-pilot was transferred to UAE custody.
British Airways had not said what caused the emergency. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump all hailed Captain Machchhar a “true hero”.
