Lufthansa flight LH470, bound for Toronto Pearson International Airport, declared a mid-air emergency while cruising over Scotland and was diverted to Manchester Airport, where it landed safely.
Emergency declared over Scotland
The Boeing 747-430, registered as D-ABVY, had departed Frankfurt Airport at 3pm local time. It reached a cruising altitude of 32,000 feet while passing over the Netherlands and proceeded as planned for the first 90 minutes of the journey.
As it passed over Scotland, the jet initiated a sudden left turn and issued a squawk 7700 alert, the international transponder code for a general emergency onboard, according to flight tracking data and Air Live.
Safe landing at Manchester
Air Traffic Control guided the jet towards Manchester Airport for an immediate arrival. The aircraft landed safely on Runway 23R at 3.37pm local time.
It was a heavy landing, as the aircraft was loaded with fuel intended for the long-haul Atlantic crossing. As a standard precaution for overweight plane landings, the jumbo jet came to a stop on the taxiway and was met by fire and emergency response vehicles to monitor brakes and landing gear for possible overheating.
Flight rescheduled
The flight has since been rescheduled to depart Manchester Airport at 5.15pm local time to Toronto.
The Mirror has contacted Lufthansa for comment.
