A British Airways flight was forced to make an emergency return to Sydney Airport after the pilot issued a mayday call. Flight BA16, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner bound for Singapore, turned back just over an hour into its journey on Monday due to a technical issue.
According to audio of the pilot's mayday call, he said: “Mayday Speedbird 16... just about to become established on runway 34 L, we will have to stop for at least a minute on the runway after landing.” One passenger told 7News that the pilot reported a smell of fuel in the cockpit.
The flight departed Sydney at 2.40pm local time and landed back shortly before 4pm. Emergency responders, including fire services, met the aircraft on the runway as part of standard procedures. A Sydney Airport spokesperson confirmed all passengers disembarked safely and there was no impact on general operations.
A British Airways spokesperson said: “The aircraft returned to Sydney as a precaution after reports of a technical issue. The flight landed safely with crew and customers disembarking as they normally would, and our teams are working hard to get their journeys back on track as soon as possible.” Passengers were rebooked onto alternative flights to Singapore later that day.
