Airways

A British Airways flight from a tourist hotspot was forced to divert in the early hours to land at Gatwick rather than Heathrow

A British Airways flight has been forced to divert from Heathrow to Gatwick after falling foul of strict rules over its landing time.

The BA707 flight from holiday hotspot Larnaca was diverted to the London airport after the four hour journey, according to AirNav Radar.

The flight had to be diverted to Gatwick after missing the curfew at Heathrow.

The plane left the Cyprus airport at 9.32pm, over three hours after scheduled take off.

It then landed at Gatwick at 12.12am on Tuesday.

Flights heading to Heathrow are often diverted to Gatwick or other regional hubs if they miss Heathrow’s strict nighttime curfew.

Heathrow enforces rigorous restrictions on movements late at night in order to reduce noice pollution for the millions of residents that live under its flight paths.

The core curfew means that scheduled flights are heavily restricted to land and take off between 11pm and 6am.

The airport operates under a strict ‘night quota’ system between 11pm and 6am which limits both the absolute number of flights allowed to land and the total amount of aircraft noise allowed.

Unless an official emergency is declared then air traffic control will deny landing rights past the curfew, forcing a diversion.

Flight BA295 had reached a cruising altitude of 37,000ft on its way from London to Chicago before the mid-air emergency

A passenger aboard a London to Chicago British Airways flight says the cabin was “silent” as they dropped 27,000ft in minutes. A “technical issue” caused the aircraft to drop and declare an emergency, and return to London on October 5.

Scott Tanner, 39, was a passenger on the plane when it began descending “noticeably” and they were told to put on oxygen masks. Flight BA295 had reached a cruising altitude of 37,000ft after taking off from Heathrow before the mid-air emergency.

Flight tracking data showed the aircraft dropped sharply down to 9,000ft. Scott said their was “silence” for 10 minutes before they were told they could remove their masks, and retuned to London after five hours in the air.

Scott, from Torbay, Devon, told Talk to the Press: “About an hour into the flight I was listening to an audiobook when, completely without warning, the oxygen masks suddenly dropped throughout the cabin.

“An automated announcement instructed everyone to put on their masks immediately. For around 10 minutes afterwards there was no further information from the flight deck.

“There was simply silence apart from the automated announcement repeating on a loop, which was probably the most disconcerting part. Despite this, everyone remained remarkably calm. I did not hear a single scream.

“We could feel the aircraft descending quite noticeably, although it felt controlled rather than like a plunge. The captain then told us that we were below 10,000 feet and could remove our masks.

“He later explained that we would be returning to Heathrow, but because the aircraft was carrying fuel for the transatlantic journey we would need to circle for several hours to burn it off. We eventually landed safely after about five hours in the air.”

Scott says British Airways provided passengers with hotel accommodation, but further arrangements were “frustrating”. He said: “I was initially rebooked via Charlotte despite direct flights being available, and I had to negotiate to have this changed.

“When I asked whether BA might offer some gesture in recognition of what had happened, I was repeatedly sent between different desks and eventually told that any compensation would have to be dealt with online.”

The plane left London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 at 11:50am, with an expected flight time of eight hours and 40 minutes before landing at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The flight crew issued a squawk 7700 code – the international aviation signal for a general emergency – shortly after beginning the steep descent.

Passenger Tom Nicholls told the Mirror there was a “sudden bit of turbulence” during the emergency. Mr Nicholls explained: “The plane adjusted but it didn’t feel like it was descending rapidly. I’d say the pilots did a very good job.

“The oxygen masks popped out soon after and there was a bit of uncertainty onboard. The couple in front couldn’t get to theirs but by the time they’d found a spare seat with a mask, the captain announced we were below 10,000ft so they were not needed.”

A spokesperson from British Airways said: “The safety of our customers and crew is always our top priority, and the aircraft landed safely after our highly-trained pilots returned to Heathrow following a technical issue.

“Customers disembarked the aircraft normally and our teams are working to get their travel plans back on track as quickly as possible.”

MINI bars at your seat, fancy amenity kits and the ‘world’s biggest business class’ – British Airways’ latest announcement is transforming the way Brits will fly with the flag carrier.

The airline’s huge new upgrades are part of the A380 retrofit programme.

Set to cost millions, it will see new seats in every single cabin, including in World Traveller – economy – and its premium economy, World Traveller Plus.

It will also have what they are calling the world’s biggest business class as well, with 106 Club Suite seats which will be on the upper deck.

This is alongside 12 seats in First, 84 in World Traveller Plus and 215 in World Traveller.

The new amenity kits have been rolled out as well – First Class passengers will get bags designed by Swaine with Wildsmith toiletries, and Business Class will get unique patterned bags with anatome products.

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First passengers will be getting a few other upgrades as well.

This includes new pyjamas with a bespoke tartan pattern design, along with slippers and blankets.

A built in mini bar will also mean First passengers can get their own snacks without having to go to the galley, with chocolates, mints and even electrolytes.

A new dining experience will include onboard Bollinger, and a wide cocktail menu. Even racks of lamb and grilled salmon will be on the menu.

British Airways boss Sean Doyle said: “This is a major milestone for British Airways and the future of our A380 fleet, marking one of the most significant transformations we’ve ever undertaken on any aircraft.

‘We’ve completely reimagined the customer experience, introducing new and updated seats in every cabin, all carefully considered to deliver greater comfort and an elevated customer experience.

“From redesigned interiors and upgraded dining to new amenities and service delivery, every detail has been thoughtfully designed with our customers front and centre, helping them to have a more seamless and memorable experience when they fly with us.”

Off the plane, new airport lounges are also being introduced.

A new lounge at Heathrow Terminal 5 C will open by the end of 2028, while the Heathrow Arrivals lounge is being redesigned.

Lounges across the US including Boston, Newark and San Francisco are being updated, along with Geneva.

A BEAUTIFUL archipelago in the Indian Ocean is set to become a much bigger holiday destination for Brits next year.

Zanzibar is often dubbed a Maldives-alternative thanks to its beautiful blue waters, white-sand beaches and high winter temperatures.

The fact that it rarely drops below 25C and can remain above 33C throughout winter is set to draw Brits in.

The best news is that flights from three different airlines will launch next year – some of which are direct and will take around nine hours.

TUI announced that from 2027 it will launch direct flights from the UK to Zanzibar – and it will open up holiday packages too.

This is the first time there will ever be direct flights to Zanzibar, with most Brits having to change in places like Dubai.

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Flights will operate from London Gatwick twice a week from November 3, 2027, until March 22, 2028.

It has new hotels too – including The Mora Zanzibar, which opened in spring 2024.

Air Tanzania will launch direct flights next year too – these will operate three times a week from London Gatwick starting in July 2027.

British Airways recently announced it would also be launching new routes to Tanzania.

These will take off from London Gatwick Airport and head to Kilimanjaro before heading onto Zanzibar.

The route launches on May 29 and flights will run for the season until October 31 – return flight prices start from £849.

The time difference is small too, currently being two hours ahead of the UK so unlike a lot of far-flung islands, there’s no jet lag.

As for what you’ll find there, Zanzibar is known for having a beautiful coastline with soft sandy beaches.

Some of the best include Kendwa Beach which previously ranked the fourth-best beach in the world and number one in Africa by Big 7 Travel.

Nungwi Beach is perfect for all-day swimming, while Paje and Jambiani are known for their world-class kitesurfing and lagoons.

It’s not all coastal, explore the city too – the capital of Zanzibar is Zanzibar City, which is made of two parts, Stone Town and Ng’ambo, which were historically divided by a creek.

The newer portion of the city is known as Ng’ambo, Swahili for ‘the other side’.

Meanwhile, Stone Town is the historic side where you’ll find the Old Fort, Christ Church Cathedral — the oldest church in East Africa, and the Sultan’s Palace.

Stone Town was also the birthplace of Queen frontman, Freddie Mercury.

Zanzibar is also nicknamed Spice Island thanks to its Indian and African influences – if you want to pick some up yourself, head to Darajani Bazaar.

Zanzibar isn’t a particularly expensive place either as, according to Wise, a beer can cost as little as £1 and a meal at an inexpensive restaurant can start from £3.54.