A Jet2 flight from Glasgow Airport to Lanzarote was forced to divert to Faro, Portugal, on Thursday after a mid-air medical emergency, landing approximately 1,000 kilometres from its intended destination.
Flight Details and Diversion
Flight LS167 departed Glasgow at around 3:30pm bound for Arrecife Airport, Lanzarote. About two and a half hours into the journey, while cruising at 37,000 feet off the coast of Portugal, the crew declared an emergency due to a medical issue. The Boeing 737-800 rapidly descended and diverted to Faro Airport on Portugal's Algarve coast.
The aircraft transmitted squawk code 7700, a general emergency code used to alert air traffic control and grant landing priority. Emergency services were on standby as the plane landed at approximately 6:20pm.
Passenger Journey and Aftermath
After a two-hour stopover in Faro, the flight departed at around 8pm and arrived in Lanzarote at 9:35pm. The Mirror has contacted Jet2 for comment regarding the incident.
This incident follows a similar emergency on an easyJet flight approaching Manchester Airport earlier in the week. EasyJet flight U22164 from Amsterdam declared an emergency while preparing to descend into Manchester, circling north of the city before landing safely on Runway 05R at 3:05pm, 45 minutes behind schedule.
