Horror as BA flight declares emergency mid-air due to ‘crack on plane’

A British Airways flight has been diverted after declaring an emergency in the air over an alleged cracked passenger window. Flight BA2660 was travelling from London Gatwick to Faro, Portugal, on Tuesday morning when the emergency unfolded. The Airbus A321-231, registered G-EUXD, was around an hour into its journey when the crew issued a squawk 7700 emergency signal to air traffic control, according to aviation reports. Flight-tracking data showed the aircraft making a U-turn shortly after passing Brittany, France, abandoning its journey to Portugal and heading back towards London Gatwick. Aviation news outlet AIRLIVE reported that structural damage had been identified to a window panel on the right-hand side of the aircraft, with the issue said to have been located near row 3R.

Despite the reported damage, cabin pressure was maintained.

AirNav Radar also reported the emergency involving the BA Euroflyer service, writing on X: “A passenger window is cracked. Flight deck going through checks before deciding where to divert.”

The exact cause of the emergency has not been officially confirmed, although aviation reports have suggested the alleged cracked window triggered the alert.

Emergency ground crews at Gatwick were alerted to meet the aircraft on its return as a precautionary measure.

The aircraft involved is a 22-year-old Airbus A321-231 with 218 seats. G-EUXD first flew in October 2004 and has operated for BA Euroflyer, British Airways’ short-haul subsidiary at Gatwick, since March 2023.

Passenger windows on modern aircraft are made up of several layers rather than a single pane. The outer pane carries the pressure load, while another acts as a back-up and an inner pane protects the other layers from scratches inside the cabin.

A crack in one layer does not necessarily result in a loss of cabin pressure because the remaining panes are designed to hold.

However, crews may not immediately be able to establish which layer has been damaged and therefore treat window damage with caution.

Declaring an emergency also gives the crew priority handling from air traffic control, while descending to a lower altitude reduces the pressure difference across a damaged window.

The aircraft is expected to be inspected to establish the extent and cause of the reported window damage before it returns to service.

British Airways has been approached for comment.

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