Emirates flight declares mid-air emergency and is diverted to Edinburgh Airport
Emirates flight EK35 from Dubai was due to land in Newcastle earlier today (January 27), but was diverted to Edinburgh after the pilot declared a mid-air emergency
The Emirates plane was forced to divert to Edinburgh(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
An Emirates flight from Dubai was forced to land at Edinburgh Airport after declaring an in-flight emergency. Flight EK35 was scheduled to land in Newcastle at 11.20am this morning (January 27) but was redirected to the Scottish capital.
The Boeing 777 made several circles above Newcastle and Sunderland before the pilot initiated an emergency procedure known as squawking 7700. Data from the flight tracking app, FlightRadar24, seems to show the plane attempting to land at Newcastle Airport twice before performing a ‘go-around’ – a procedure where pilots abort a landing attempt, circle back and try again.
The flight then headed north before safely landing at Edinburgh Airport. Emergency response squawking 7700 signifies a general emergency declaration.
It can cover various scenarios including a technical or medical emergency. This procedure allows air traffic controllers and ground crews to respond to the emergency in the most effective way.
Newcastle Airport declined to comment when approached by the Daily Record. A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport confirmed: “We can confirm that there was a diverted plane that declare an emergency. It landed safely with no issues,” reports the Daily Record.
Emirates were also contacted for comment.
It comes after two Lufthansa flights were forced to make an emergency landing after the crew reported a problem shortly after take-off.
Flight LH2249, en route from Lyon to Munich, halted its ascent at 5,400 feet and started circling near Lyon Airport. The crew issued a “Squawk 7700” – the radio code for a general emergency – due to a “gear issue”, as per AirLive. The aircraft later climbed to 10,000 feet and entered Swiss airspace before circling near Lausanne and eventually diverting to Geneva, according to flight-tracking data.
The jet, which had taken off from Lyon almost one hour behind schedule, landed on runway 22 in Geneva Airport at 3.39pm. It was originally scheduled to land in Munich at 4.04pm.
Just days before, a Lufthansa plane declared a mid-air emergency over London moments after take-off from Heathrow.
Flight LH2473, operated by an Airbus A320neo and bound for Munich, Germany, departed the runway at 11:36am. But tracking data shows the plane immediately halted its departure and initiated a sharp turn back toward the airport.
The flight crew then transmitted a Squawk 7700 code. The aircraft was at an altitude of approximately 14,000 feet when the alert was sounded.
A Lufthansa statement said: “The flight had to return to LHR due to technical issues.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Airport said: “We can confirm that there was a diverted plane that declare an emergency. It landed safely with no issues.”
