UK-bound Ryanair flight from Spanish hotspot declares emergency at 12,600ft

A UK-bound Ryanair flight issued an emergency code after a passenger became unwell during the journey. The flight was travelling from Seville to Manchester yesterday (Sunday, 25 October) when a 7700 squawk code was transmitted, signifying a general emergency. The plane landed at Manchester around 20 minutes after issuing the emergency code at 12.600ft. When it landed safely at Manchester Airport, the plane was met by medical crews to assist the passenger.

The flight was scheduled to depart the Spanish airport at 8.20pm, but took off at 9.33pm local time, according to flight tracking data. According to Flightradar24, the plane landed in Manchester at 11.30pm. A spokesperson for Ryanair said: “A passenger became unwell during the flight, so the crew called ahead for medical assistance to meet the aircraft upon landing at Manchester.”

Squawk alerts are four-digit codes used by pilots and air traffic control to communicate during flights. A 7700 code indicates a general emergency that may be mechanical or technical in nature, but it is also used to indicate a medical issue on board.

In a previous, unrelated incident earlier this month, an easyJet flight declared a mid-air emergency after a bird strike, preventing the crew and passengers from landing at Southampton after departing Glasgow. Flight EZY415 left Glasgow Airport at 8.09am on Sunday, October 18, and was scheduled to land around an hour later, at 9.25am, but after declaring an emergency 25 minutes after take off, it was forced to divert to John Lennon Airport in Liverpool.

The airline then confirmed that the disruption was caused by a bird strike and that a replacement flight had been arranged to allow passengers to reach Southampton. A spokesperson for easyJet said: “Flight EZY415 from Glasgow to Southampton this morning diverted to Liverpool in line with procedures due to a bird strike after take-off.

“We are arranging for a replacement aircraft to continue the flight to Southampton later this morning.

“The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority, and while this was outside of our control, we would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.”

On the weekend, as Storm Boelo hit the UK, hundreds of flights have been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

Scotland has recorded the most ferocious gusts so far, with winds reaching 84mph. Among the airports affected were Heathrow, Manchester, Belfast International, and Edinburgh.