London Gatwick Airport experienced significant travel chaos overnight when a technical issue with a British Airways aircraft on the runway led to 14 flights being diverted to other airports and nine declaring emergency alerts due to low fuel.
The incident involved British Airways flight BA2673 from Palma de Mallorca, which landed at Gatwick shortly after midnight on July 15, 2026. The aircraft reportedly experienced a problem with its nose wheel, preventing it from taxiing to the gate and leaving it stranded on the runway. This blocked the runway, prompting Air Traffic Control to divert inbound flights.
Nine of the diverted flights issued a 'squawk 7700' emergency alert, a general code indicating an in-flight emergency, which aviation watchers noted was likely due to low fuel levels resulting from the extended diversion times. These flights had been rerouted to airports including Birmingham, Bristol, Heathrow, Luton, and Stansted.
Some passengers on the diverted flights experienced further inconvenience as their planes refueled at alternate airports and then proceeded to Gatwick without disembarking, only to await clearance for the runway to reopen. One traveler shared on X that their daughter's flight from Greece was diverted to Luton, and after driving to meet her, they learned the plane was to return to Gatwick, necessitating another journey.
Flights originated from various European destinations, including Spain (Tenerife, Valencia, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura), Greece (Rhodes, Athens), Italy (Bari, Rome), and Morocco (Agadir).
British Airways stated that its flight landed safely and passengers disembarked normally, despite reports of a technical fault. A spokesperson for Gatwick Airport confirmed the runway closure was brief and that the majority of diverted flights eventually returned to Gatwick. The airport reiterated that safety and security remain its top priority.