TAP Air Portugal flight TP1329 declared a mid-air emergency minutes after taking off from Gatwick Airport, with a fire reported in a galley forcing the plane to request an immediate return and land safely
A plane was compelled to halt its ascent and return to a UK airport just moments after lifting off.
TAP Air Portugal flight TP1329, destined for Porto, departed from London Gatwick Airport on time at around 9.15am on Sunday. However, during the aircraft’s climb, the crew of the Airbus A320 broadcasted a Squawk 7700 – the global code for a general emergency – at 4,300 feet and requested an immediate return after reporting a fire in a galley, as per AirLive.
Flight-tracking data reveals the aircraft executed a tight loop south of the airport before touching down back at Gatwick at approximately 9.41am. The plane landed safely and was stationed on a remote stand for technical evaluation.
The flight eventually left Gatwick at 12.20pm and arrived safely in Porto at 2.22pm GMT, several hours later than its scheduled arrival time of 11.30am. It remains uncertain whether passengers travelled on the same aircraft or a substitute plane.
Portugal’s national airline, headquartered in Lisbon, operates flights to over 90 destinations globally, reports the Mirror.
Last week, a Jet2 flight declared an emergency while airborne over the UK after one of its pilots became incapacitated. Flight LS980 departed from Lanzarote at 3.45pm GMT on Tuesday and was proceeding normally towards the UK until roughly 25 minutes before its scheduled arrival at Manchester Airport.
During the Airbus A321’s descent, the crew issued a Squawk 7700 signal and notified air traffic control that one pilot was incapacitated due to an unexpected medical emergency, reports AirLive.
The aircraft received priority treatment and touched down safely at Manchester Airport at 8.14pm.
Following the captain’s sudden illness, the co-pilot successfully executed the landing, confirmed an airport spokesperson.
The plane was directed to a stand where medical personnel were waiting to assist the affected pilot.
A Jet2 spokesperson commented: “Flight LS980 from Lanzarote to Manchester requested a priority landing yesterday evening, due to one of the pilots feeling unwell. The aircraft landed safely and customers disembarked as normal.”