A Jet2 flight headed for Spain was redirected to London after an emergency was announced while flying at 37,000ft above the south of England. The flight, LS257, departed from Leeds Bradford Airport at 4.40 pm on Wednesday bound for Palma de Mallorca. Approximately 40 minutes into the journey, the crew signaled a general emergency (Squawk 7700) due to a passenger needing medical assistance, as stated by a Jet2 spokesperson.
Air traffic control swiftly guided the aircraft to London Stansted Airport, where emergency services were on standby, following standard protocol, according to aviation source AirLive. The flight landed safely at 5.50 pm, as indicated by flight-tracking data.
This incident occurred following a report by Manchester Airports Group, the owner of Manchester, Stansted, and East Midlands airports, which noted a 2.4% increase in passenger numbers in May compared to the previous year. The surge was attributed to numerous Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Crystal Palace fans traveling for European football finals.
In contrast, Heathrow Airport experienced a decline in passenger numbers last month despite achieving its busiest day on record in May. The airport disclosed that 7.1 million passengers passed through its terminals in May, marking a 1.2% decrease year-on-year.
UK passenger numbers dropped by 1.9%, with Middle East numbers plummeting by 31% due to the US-Israel conflict. However, this was an improvement from April’s 5.3% decline, attributed by Heathrow to “short-term disruption” from the conflict.
Heathrow also highlighted a record-breaking day in May, with 262,000 passengers traveling on May 22 during the start of school half-term holidays.