British Airways Flight Raises Mid-Air Alert After Descending to 9,000ft Over Ireland

October 5, 2026

London: A British Airways flight bound for Chicago suddenly declared an emergency while flying over Ireland. According to flight tracking data, the plane suddenly and rapidly lost altitude, forcing it to abort its journey and divert to London’s Heathrow Airport.

Flight suddenly descends from 37,000 feet to 9,000 feet

British Airways flight BA295 took off from Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport at around 11:50 am. The flight was bound for Chicago O’Hare International Airport in the United States, with a scheduled flight duration of approximately 8 hours and 40 minutes.

About an hour after takeoff, the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft had reached an altitude of approximately 37,000 feet. Meanwhile, the plane suddenly began a rapid descent.

Rapid Descent in a Few Minutes

According to flight-tracking data, the plane descended to an altitude of approximately 9,000 feet over Ireland within a few minutes. The plane then made a sudden U-turn and headed back towards the UK instead of heading towards Chicago.

Emergency Code 7700 Transmitted

The plane also transmitted the international emergency squawk code 7700. This code is used by pilots to report a general emergency to air traffic control.

The flight then reportedly cancelled its journey across the Atlantic to Chicago and headed back to London Heathrow.

Plane Seen Over Cornwall

According to flight-tracking data, the plane was diverted back to Heathrow. However, at the time of reporting, the plane was visible on the Flightradar24 map over Cornwall.

At present, the exact reason for the sudden descent of the plane and declaration of emergency has not been officially confirmed.