An easyJet flight from Edinburgh to Fuerteventura declared a mid-air emergency at 38,000 feet on Tuesday, forcing a diversion to Porto, Portugal. The Airbus A320, operating as flight U23211, transmitted a Squawk 7700 code—the international signal for a general emergency—while flying over Spain due to a technical issue, according to AirLive.
The aircraft departed Edinburgh at 10:59 GMT and landed safely at Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport in Porto at around 13:30 GMT. A replacement aircraft later departed Porto at 18:38 GMT, arriving at Fuerteventura Airport at 20:39 GMT, four hours and nine minutes behind schedule, flight-tracking data shows. easyJet confirmed the diversion was caused by an issue with the aircraft.
In a separate incident, a Jet2 flight from Lanzarote to Manchester declared an emergency after one of its pilots became incapacitated. Flight LS980 departed Lanzarote at 15:45 GMT on Tuesday and was approaching Manchester when the crew transmitted a Squawk 7700, informing air traffic control that a pilot could not continue due to a sudden medical issue, according to AirLive.
The Airbus A321 was given priority handling and touched down safely at Manchester Airport at 20:14 GMT. The co-pilot landed the plane after the captain fell ill, an airport spokesperson said. The affected pilot was met by medical professionals upon arrival. A Jet2 spokesperson stated: 'Flight LS980 from Lanzarote to Manchester requested a priority landing yesterday evening, due to one of the pilots feeling unwell. The aircraft landed safely and customers disembarked as normal.'
