British Airways Flight Plunges 27,000 Feet and Returns to London

A British Airways flight encountered a technical issue on Oct. 5, 2026, causing it to rapidly descend 27,000 feet before returning to London Heathrow Airport for an emergency landing. The passenger jet, a Boeing 777-200, had departed Heathrow at 11:50 a.m. local time and was about 30 minutes into its flight to Chicago O'Hare International Airport when it dropped from 36,000 feet to 9,000 feet in less than 10 minutes, according to FlightAware.

Flight map data shows the aircraft turned around over Ireland and flew in circles for a few hours before heading back toward London. It safely landed at Heathrow around 5 p.m..

"The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue," said British Airways in a statement. The airline did not specify the issue.

Passengers disembarked normally, and the airline said it is assisting them in rebooking their travel plans. In September, a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Salt Lake City International Airport was diverted due to a pressurization issue, dropping around 27,000 feet and deploying oxygen masks.