British Airways Flight Diverts to Gatwick Due to Cracked Window

A British Airways flight en route to Faro, Portugal, returned to London Gatwick Airport on Tuesday due to a cracked window. The aircraft, flight BA2660, diverted over northwestern France before returning to its origin.

A flight data provider, AirNav Radar, reported that a passenger window was cracked and that the flight deck was conducting checks before deciding on a diversion. A spokesperson for British Airways confirmed the safe landing at Gatwick, citing a "minor technical issue." The airline stated that passengers were expected to continue their journey and apologized for the delay.

The Airbus A321 aircraft squawked the 7700 emergency code, which is used to indicate mechanical or technical problems on board, according to AirNav Radar.

This incident follows a separate British Airways flight last week that spent five hours circling over the Irish Republic before returning to London Heathrow. Passengers on that flight reported that oxygen masks dropped in the cabin and experienced turbulence. Tracking data indicated a rapid descent from 37,000 feet to 9,000 feet.

In a separate incident in August, a passenger on a Ryanair flight sustained serious injuries and shock when his head and shoulder were partially sucked out of a window. Ryanair suggested that the window may have been damaged by a foreign object.