Flights bound for London Gatwick Airport faced major overnight disruption on 15 July 2026 after a British Airways aircraft developed a technical issue and temporarily blocked the runway. Nine inbound planes transmitted the general emergency code 7700, while a total of 14 flights were diverted to alternative UK airports.
The affected aircraft had been waiting to land while Gatwick’s runway remained unavailable. Flight-tracking information indicated that the emergency declarations were likely connected to falling fuel reserves after extended holding, rather than separate mechanical problems affecting all nine aircraft.
What happened at Gatwick Airport?
The disruption began after British Airways flight BA2673 arrived from Palma de Mallorca shortly after midnight. Reports placed its landing at approximately 12:10am to 12:12am BST. Airport rescue and firefighting vehicles attended the aircraft after reports of a technical fault.
Some reports suggested the aircraft may have experienced a nose-steering issue, although neither British Airways nor Gatwick publicly confirmed that specific cause. The verified explanation remained a technical problem involving the aircraft.
British Airways said the flight landed safely and that customers disembarked normally. No injuries were reported. The aircraft was eventually moved away, allowing Gatwick’s runway to reopen at approximately 1:30am.
Nine flights issued the Squawk 7700 emergency code
Flightradar24 reported that nine Gatwick-bound flights transmitted Squawk 7700. This is the universal transponder code used when a flight crew needs to inform air traffic control of a general emergency and receive priority assistance.
The code does not automatically mean an aircraft is in immediate danger or has suffered a mechanical failure. In this incident, several planes had spent additional time circling while waiting for the runway to reopen. As usable fuel reduced, crews could declare an emergency to secure priority handling and a safe diversion.
Aircraft operated by British Airways, easyJet, TUI and Jet2 were reportedly among the affected services. The concentration of emergency alerts attracted significant attention from aviation followers monitoring flight-tracking platforms overnight.
