Nine airplanes flying over London declared emergencies early Wednesday morning after a technical issue at London Gatwick Airport, one of Europe's busiest airports. In total, 14 flights scheduled to land at Gatwick were diverted to other airports between midnight and 1 a.m., with some traveling as far as Bristol and Birmingham, about 100 miles away.
Gatwick Airport, the UK's second-busiest airport, temporarily closed its runway due to a technical issue involving a British Airways Airbus A320 that arrived from Palma de Mallorca, Spain. The aircraft, operating as Flight BA2673, reportedly suffered a problem with its nose wheel, preventing it from taxiing and blocking the runway. Emergency services attended the plane as a precaution, though it landed safely, and passengers disembarked normally.
The diverted flights, which included routes from Spain, Morocco, Greece, Italy, and beyond, were forced to reroute to airports such as Birmingham, Bristol, Heathrow, Luton, and Stansted. Nine of the diverted planes declared emergencies, likely due to low fuel levels, after being turned away from Gatwick. Some flights refueled at their diversion airports before continuing to Gatwick without allowing passengers to disembark.
British Airways confirmed that the affected flight landed safely and that customers disembarked normally following reports of a technical fault. The airline canceled two flights scheduled for Wednesday involving the affected aircraft. Gatwick Airport stated that the runway closure was temporary and that most diverted flights later returned to the airport.
Passengers experienced delays and confusion, with some traveling to diversion airports only to learn their flights would continue to Gatwick without disembarkation. One passenger reported driving from Gatwick to Luton Airport to meet a family member, only to find the plane would not allow disembarkation and would instead proceed to Gatwick.
The incident raised questions about airport safety protocols and emergency response procedures, though no injuries or major disruptions were reported.