Jet2 flight LS257, en route from Leeds Bradford Airport to Palma de Mallorca, was forced to make an unscheduled landing at London Stansted Airport on Wednesday after declaring a medical emergency. The Boeing 737-800 transmitted a Squawk 7700 code—the international signal for a general emergency—while cruising at 37,000 feet, according to aviation outlet AirLive.
Emergency Declaration and Diversion
The flight departed Leeds Bradford at 4.40pm on Wednesday. Soon into the journey, the crew reported a medical emergency, prompting air traffic control to prioritise the aircraft and direct it towards Stansted. Emergency services at the airport were placed on standby as standard procedure.
The aircraft landed safely at 5.50pm. The Mirror has contacted Jet2 for further information.
Broader Airport Trends
The incident comes as Manchester Airports Group—which owns Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands airports—reported a 2.4% increase in passenger numbers in May compared to the same month last year. The group attributed the rise to tens of thousands of Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace supporters travelling to European football finals.
Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport saw a 1.2% year-on-year decline in passenger numbers in May, despite recording its busiest ever day for the month. Heathrow reported 7.1 million passengers passed through its four terminals in May. UK passenger numbers fell 1.9%, while those from the Middle East dropped 31% as the Iran war continues to impact global travel. However, the decline marked an improvement on the 5.3% drop seen in April, which the airport attributed to short-term disruption from the conflict.
Heathrow achieved its busiest ever day for May on May 22, with 262,000 passengers recorded at the start of the school half-term holidays.
