A British Airways flight from London Gatwick to Faro was diverted back to the airport after pilots reported possible damage to a window panel.
The BA EuroFlyer service, operated by an Airbus A321-231, had been travelling towards Portugal on Tuesday morning when it turned around shortly after passing Brittany, France.
The aircraft left Gatwick at about 9am, with the emergency reportedly declared around an hour into the journey. AirLive reported that the pilots had identified “structural damage to a window panel on the right side of the aircraft”.
AirNav Radar said on X that a passenger window was cracked and that the flight deck was carrying out checks before deciding where to divert. Flight-tracking data showed the plane heading back towards London.
The precise cause of the emergency U-turn has not been confirmed. British Airways described the incident as a minor technical issue.
A spokesman for the airline said: “The aircraft diverted following a minor technical issue and landed safely back at London Gatwick.
“We have apologised to customers for the delay to their journey, and our teams are working hard to get their travel plans back on track.”
