London, October 6, 2026 : British Airways flight descends to 9000 feet, activates 7700 code British Airways flight BA295 fell about 9 thousand feet from a height of 37,000 feet in just a few minutes while flying over Ireland. During this time, there was chaos when the plane activated the 7700 emergency code. After this, instead of going to Chicago, the flight was diverted back towards London. The airline had said that the plane had developed a 'technical problem' due to which it had to return to the UK.
British Airways flight BA295 going from London to Chicago had to declare an emergency mid-flight. After that it was diverted back towards Heathrow, London. The plane was flying over Ireland when flight tracking data suddenly showed a rapid loss of altitude. The aircraft then activated the 7700 squawk code which is used for general emergencies. The British Airways Boeing 777-200ER flight was to reach Chicago and the entire flight was scheduled to last approximately 8 hours and 40 minutes. After about an hour of takeoff, the plane had reached a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet. During this time, the altitude over Ireland had dropped rapidly to about 9000 feet. Code 7700 signals to Air Traffic Control a general emergency in the aircraft. It is not possible to know what kind of problem it is.
This incident has come to light five days after the incident that took place on September 30 on flydubai flight FZ1073 going from Dubai to Tel Aviv. In this, the Omani co-pilot captain was attacked with an axe. During the attack, the plane had descended from about 34 thousand feet to 17 thousand feet and an emergency signal was sent. Later the crew and passengers overpowered the accused and the flight made an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
7700 is the international squawk code used in serious emergency situations in aircraft. The pilot can set it in case of engine failure, medical emergency, smoke in the cabin or any other serious situation. The pilot sets code 7700 on the transponder located in the cockpit. The transponder then transmits this information to the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system through radio signals. An emergency code appears on the controller's radar display along with the aircraft identification. ATC can then give priority to the aircraft, make necessary changes to the routes of other aircraft and keep airport emergency teams on standby. The airline said that the plane had developed a 'technical problem' due to which it had to return to the UK.