A GLASGOW bound flight issued an emergency code before it could land at the city's airport.
British Airways flight BA1496 left London Heathrow Airport at 9.56pm and issued a Squawk 7700 just over an hour into the 85-minute journey.
A Squawk 7700 code is used to communicate on-flight emergencies and, depending on the nature and severity of the situation, crews may conduct checks before formally declaring an emergency.
When an emergency is declared, air traffic control is informed and pilots can fly the plane as they see fit.
The aircraft was seen circling the air at Larkhall, Wishaw, Carluke and Lanark before landing in Glasgow at 11.30pm.
Its diverted route was shared by Plane Finder on social media.
Live Squawk 7700: Track SHT6P live now with Plane Finder https://t.co/X4U1bIvm4d #avgeek #SHT6P pic.twitter.com/riHsmIUHaF
— Plane Finder (@planefinder) May 22, 2022
British Airways confirmed that the call was made to request a priority landing, and the situation was not classified as an emergency but rather a small technical issue.
A spokesperson said: "The pilots requested a priority landing as a precaution due to a minor technical issue, and the aircraft landed normally."
Glasgow Airport confirmed that their emergency services were deployed as standard procedure and that the aircraft landed safely and without further incident.
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