A British Airways long-haul flight was forced to return to Sydney Airport for an emergency landing just moments after takeoff on Thursday, sparking a major emergency response on the ground.
The Boeing 777-300ER, operating as flight BA15 to Singapore, departed Sydney at approximately 3:45pm local time. Shortly after becoming airborne, the pilots reported a technical issue to air traffic control, declaring a 'PAN-PAN' alert—one step below a full-blown mayday call.
The aircraft, carrying 225 passengers and crew, safely circled back to the airport. Dramatic footage captured the jet flying low over the suburb of Botany Bay as it prepared for its unscheduled return.
A full-scale emergency response was immediately activated. Fire and Rescue NSW crews, along with other emergency services, rushed to the scene, lining the runway with fire trucks as a precautionary measure.
An eyewitness on the ground described the tense atmosphere. "We saw it come in low and then all the emergency vehicles with their lights on came racing towards the runway. It was quite a worrying sight," they said.
Despite the alarming situation, the highly trained pilots executed a flawless landing. The aircraft touched down safely at 4:17pm, just over 30 minutes after it had initially departed.
British Airways has since issued a statement regarding the incident: "Our pilots requested a priority landing in Sydney due to a technical fault and the aircraft landed safely. We apologise to our customers for the disruption to their journey."
The airline confirmed that a replacement aircraft was being arranged to continue the passengers' journeys to London via Singapore. Aviation experts have praised the crew's handling of the situation, highlighting that the safe return is a testament to rigorous pilot training and safety protocols.
The incident is now under investigation by the airline and relevant aviation authorities to determine the precise nature of the technical fault.
