British Airways flight BA711 from Larnaca to London Heathrow declared a mid-air emergency on Sunday morning and was diverted to Luxembourg following a reported medical incident.
The flight departed Larnaca International Airport shortly before 7am EEST (5am BST) and was cruising at 34,000 feet when the crew transmitted a squawk 7700 code - the international signal for a general emergency - shortly after entering French airspace, according to flight-tracking data.
Emergency descent and diversion
The crew initiated an immediate descent and requested a diversion to the nearest airport able to accommodate the aircraft, according to AirLive, which reported a "medical emergency" on the flight.
The Airbus A321neo landed safely in Luxembourg at around 10am CEST (9am BST). It later continued its journey to London Heathrow Airport, departing at 12.50pm CEST (11.50am BST) and arriving in the capital at 12.51pm BST.
No comment from airline yet
The Mirror has contacted British Airways for comment.
It comes after a Ryanair flight bound for Dublin turned back to Porto after the pilot reportedly transmitted a squawk code signalling a possible hijacking or cockpit intrusion.
Recent similar incident on Ryanair
A 48-year-old woman is said to have handed a flight attendant several "sheets of paper" shortly after flight FR7073 took off from Porto Airport at 10.25pm on Tuesday. She reportedly claimed she was being followed by three people and asked the flight attendant to pass the papers detailing her claim to the pilot.
A Ryanair spokesperson told the Mirror that the flight returned to Porto shortly after take-off "due to a false security report". They said the incident was "quickly resolved" and that the flight later departed for Dublin.
The woman was removed from the Boeing 737 after it landed in Porto and was identified by local authorities. The plane took off again shortly before 1.30am on Wednesday and arrived in the Irish capital at around 3.15am - two and a half hours later than scheduled.
Portuguese news outlets claimed that the pilot transmitted the squawk code 7500 before turning the plane around. The code is used to discreetly signal unlawful interference, such as a hijacking or cockpit intrusion.
