An easyJet flight travelling from Tenerife to London Gatwick declared an in-flight emergency at around 30,000ft before landing safely and being met by fire engines at the airport.
Emergency declared near London
Flight EZY58XM/U28040 issued a squawk 7700 emergency code while near London, according to monitoring website Flightradar24, which reported that the alert was triggered due to a technical issue. The squawk 7700 code is a universal transponder signal indicating a generic in-flight emergency.
The Airbus A320-200 aircraft had departed the Spanish island at approximately 10.10pm local time, with the journey taking just over four hours. Social media reports indicated that emergency service vehicles, including the fire service, were present on the airfield when the plane landed.
Safe landing and airline response
Despite the emergency declaration, the flight continued to Gatwick Airport and landed without incident. An easyJet spokesperson confirmed that the flight experienced a technical issue on arrival and that the aircraft landed normally, with emergency services attending as a precautionary measure.
The spokesperson added that the safety and wellbeing of customers and crew remains the airline's highest priority, and that easyJet operates its fleet in strict compliance with manufacturers' guidelines.
