British Airways flight to Chicago declares emergency over Ireland, descends to 9,000 feet

A British Airways flight from London to Chicago declared an emergency while flying over Ireland on Monday, with the aircraft transmitting the 7700 emergency code and descending to around 9,000 feet, according to flight-tracking data.

British Airways flight BA295, operated by a Boeing aircraft, was crossing the Atlantic en route to Chicago when the emergency signal was detected, according to Flightradar24.

The aircraft's sudden descent and transmission of the emergency code drew attention from aviation observers. However, the exact reason for the emergency declaration was not immediately known.

What does the 7700 emergency code mean?

The 7700 transponder code is used by pilots to alert air traffic control that an aircraft is experiencing a general emergency and may require priority assistance.

The code itself does not reveal what went wrong. It can be activated in response to a range of situations, including a technical problem, a medical emergency or another operational issue.

In the case of BA295, British Airways had not immediately provided details explaining why the crew declared the emergency or whether the aircraft sustained any damage.

Further information on the aircraft's condition and its subsequent flight path was awaited.

British Airways emergency comes days after flydubai incident

The BA295 incident comes days after another aviation emergency involving flydubai flight FZ1073, although the two cases are unrelated.

FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was forced to divert following an alleged attack inside the cockpit. The aircraft transmitted both the 7700 general emergency code and 7500, the code used to indicate unlawful interference or a possible hijacking.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was carrying 174 passengers and crew during the September 30 incident. Reports said the aircraft entered a rapid descent following the alleged cockpit altercation.

Despite suffering injuries, the captain was able to regain control with assistance from passengers and off-duty pilots who were travelling on the flight. The aircraft later diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia, where it landed safely.

Authorities in the UAE subsequently described the incident as a terrorist attack and opened an investigation. The co-pilot involved was later transferred to UAE custody.

With IANS inputs