British Airways flight BA259 from London Heathrow to Chicago made a u-turn above Ireland after issuing an emergency alert and is now heading back to the UK.
Emergency declared mid-flight
The Boeing 777-200ER departed from London Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 at 11:50 AM, with a scheduled flight time of 8 hours and 40 minutes to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). About an hour after takeoff, the aircraft had climbed to its cruising altitude of 37,000 feet when it appeared to encounter an issue and declared an emergency.
Rapid descent over Ireland
Flight-tracking data shows the aircraft descended rapidly from cruising altitude to around 9,000 feet while over Ireland. The plane is now heading back to the UK.
